Becoming Time
by KaixinPhoenix
Summary: Lucy had been thrown into the Celestial Realm for 5 years. More than 400 years had passed after 5 years in the Realm. Now Lucy needs to complete her mission of finding all 88 keys. A prophecy had foretold many things, and it was becoming too much for Lucy to bear. "A heart so kind and lonely carries the most burden". Lucy, who carries so much burden, will she fall into despair?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a rewrite!**

 **Please enjoy?**

"Are you ready?" A booming rigorous authority made itself known.

"Yes." A small petite girl replied with determination.

"With your mission in hand, you must now follow your own path to defeat the common enemy. You know what to do, I assume?"

"Yes. Find all 88 celestial keys and find the missing links in the prophecy."

"Lucy Heartfilia, Princess of the Celestial Realm, I bid you farewell in your journey."

"Thank you. I will do my best." The girl of a 10 year old, flashed a smile before disappearing into the portal before her, traveling back into her home world, the world that she was born in. A world that was not the same before leaving it.

* * *

The first thing that Lucy wanted to do was to visit her mother, who had left the spirit realm to live in the human world with a mission, leaving Lucy in the care of the celestial king and the spirits. Not that Lucy minded, but she missed her mother terribly. How long had it been since her mother had left? For her, it had been 5 years. But what about here?

Lucy will find out first before starting on her dangerous yet unpredictable mission.

The first thing that had come to Lucy's mind was their family mansion. Lucy doesn't know where, but she can always ask for directions.

After a lot of questions and walking, and misguiding answers, Lucy found herself in front of a gigantic mansion. And it seemed abandoned. The mansion was riddled with vines and had dirtied pathways, but it does seem attended to in some areas, such as the windows and bushes.

Carefully, Lucy walks through the garden of the mansion and sees a beautiful run down statue on the right of the entrance of the mansion. Upon further inspection, Lucy sees that there was an engraving on it.

Couple seconds in, tears were formed the small girl's eyes as she stared at the engraving. She was looking forward to seeing her so much. How could this happen? She wanted to be embraced in the arms of her mother that she had not seen for years.

"You must be Lucy Heartfilia." A sudden voice reached Lucy's ears, making her jump, with her hand grabbing for her spirits.

"Who are you?!" Lucy demanded, trying to look intimidating, but failed because of her petite figure.

"I'm a servant that had been left with one last mission, and that was to guide you." The servant said, bowing. "I had been expecting you, Master."

"Master?" Lucy does not like the sound of that. "Wait, do you know my mother?"

The servant smiled sadly. "I know of her, yes."

Lucy stared at the servant before her for a moment. "Guiding me...what does that mean?"

"I have something I must give you."

"What would that be?"

"If you would follow me, I would gladly take you there." The servant bowed.

"Alright. Take me wherever."

Lucy followed the servant into the building, through couple of hallways and couple of turns, the servant finally stopped at a door, opening it, letting Lucy in first.

When Lucy stepped in, she was in awe. There was so many books in one place that made Lucy excited. She always had been a lover for books and such. So many information and stories that she had found fascinating.

The servant then proceeded to a desk on the far left of the room and took out a large box that rested upon the surface and handed it to Lucy.

When Lucy took it, she noticed how heavy it was. When she opened it, she sees a bulky letter, a ring, and a bulky cloth underneath.

Lucy takes out the letter first, sensing that it was more important than the ring or the cloth and sat down.

 _Dear Lucy,_

 _If you are reading this, then you're on your third step of your journey. As much as I like to congratulate you, I am unable to do so, as I had already passed away. But don't ever forget, the stars will always watch over you. I will always be by your side._

 _I have a few tips to give for your journey. It will be harsh. There will be many enemies that will try to intervene in some way. There will be times where you will be lost, discouraged, sad, and angry. When you are in this situation, always remember the future that you will be changing, the past that you had lived, and the present that you are living in._

 _I encourage you to make friends. Friends on a journey is important. On your mission, friends can help you acquire new keys and become stronger, especially when the times comes._

 _Now, I assume that you have a large magic capacity inside your body, especially when you become stronger, you must wear the ring I had provided with this letter. The ring is powerful, capable of restraining your magic reserve, making it impossible for anyone to sense your magical energy._

 _Your magical energy is special. It is capable of many thing, reversing spells, enchanting spells, even healing spells. It is not lost magic, but you have advance celestial magic. So wear the ring to protect your identity, as people will be targeting you._

 _Now the last thing, I had also provided a special cloak. I had one of the best mage to prepare it, specifically for you. It's a cloak that won't come off unless you will it to. The cloak should also help you with your mission as well. Hope it will be helpful in any situation and such._

 _I only ask you one thing: Please be careful. As young as you are, don't get mixed up in dangerous missions unless you have to._

 _I love you with all my heart and wish I could be there and watch you as you succeed, and I know that you will. I am very proud of you._

 _Remember to smile in the toughest situation._

 _Love, your mother, Layla Heartfilia_

Tears were streaming down Lucy's cheeks, tears dropping onto the letter. Lucy had only wished that she came earlier so she can see her mother before she had passed on.

"How did my mother die?" Lucy asked, turning to the servant.

"If I remember correctly, it was from magic deviancy."

Lucy stares at the man, suspicious about something. "When did she passed away?"

"137 years ago."

Lucy paled. If it had been that long...then why was she not told of her passing?

"And...how...why are you here?"

"The servant that served your mother was given a task of watching over this mansion, specifically for two things. To wait for you, and to watch over the mansion. The task, or mission had been passed down from generation to generation, this is, until you appear."

Lucy wanted to cry, cry for being gone for so long. "Thanks for...waiting."

The servant smiled. "Now that you are set, you are ready to start your journey."

Lucy was ready. For a 10 year old girl, she was ready to face the world.

"But before you go, you need money."

Lucy turned to the girl. "Money?"

"Money for food and a place to sleep."

"Oh, yes. How can I get them?"

The servant smiled. "Your mother left a fortune for you when you arrive. They are yours."

Lucy was...happy...that her mother did so much for her. That must be why she left the celestial realm...so she could provide Lucy essentials.

"Oh, and I almost forgot. Your mother has something else for you."

"Is that so? What is it?" Lucy asked as she put on the ring on her finger and held the special cloak that was made for her.

"Follow me, if you would." The servant left the room and made couple of turns and stopped in front of a door. "This is your room. I believe your mother had left you something else."

Curious, Lucy opens the door and walked in. It was empty, except for a table with couple of things sacked on it.

Walking to it, she sees another letter and a small box.

Lucy takes the letter first and reads it.

 _Lucy,_

 _Your mother and I are proud of you. We miss you terribly, but knows that you are in good hands. If you are reading this, then the time is near, the time to fight back the darkness of this world...to fight Zeref. Right now, you are too young to understand, but while you still have time, use your powers to fight the darkness while saving it._

 _The celestial spirits that are scattered across the land, find and save them, before they become the fallen. You can still save them, but they will fight back...so be careful._

 _Your mother had made a promise with a mage that she is acquainted with. Right now, in your time, she is dead. But her guild is not. I'm sure the current guild master will be willing to assist you in your journey if you mention the first master. It is up to you to go to them or not. The guild is called Fairy Tail. They are remarkable group of people._

 _I had also left you a gift, to remind you of our time together. It was short, but treasure it dearly. Your mother and I love you dearly._

 _Your father, Jude Heartfilia._

Lucy had almost forgotten about him. Her father...he kept his distance for some reason...but she still loved him...

Lucy looks back at the small box. She takes it and opens the box. A necklace locket laid gracefully in the box. Lucy picks the locket up and opens it. On one side was a picture of her father and mother smiling into the picture. The other side was the picture of Lucy with her parents.

Lucy fought back some tears, wanting to see her parents again. But she had a mission, a mission that she must do...for her parents...for herself...for the world that she lived in. Lucy wraps the locket around her neck, and covered herself with the cloak her mother had given her.

"Where's my money?" Lucy turned to the servant.

"I'll take you there."

Lucy followed the servant through couple more turns and stopped in front of a door.

"This is only a part of the wealth that you owns. The rest is at Acalypha town, a guild called Love & Lucky."

Lucy nodded and opened the door, seeing sacks of money in front of her. Just how wealthy is my family?

Lucy opened a void and started throwing the money in there. The void can be used for couple of things. As storage, for transport, and going back to the celestial realm.

After throwing the last of the money into the void, she was ready now. Her journey starts now.

"Mister. Thank you for everything. May I ask for your name?"

"I'm Spetto." The servant smiled.

Lucy smiled. "Spetto, thank you. I must go now."

"Very well. I wish you luck on your journey. Be safe, little one."

Lucy grinned before walking out of the mansion and wondered...for a second. What will be her first destination?

Lucy closed her eyes, and heightened her magical senses...to sense if the magic of a celestial spirit was nearby.

Nothing. Lucy opened her eyes in defeat. Well then.

Lucy ran forward, looking forward to her journey...for her mother and father...and for the world she was born in.

 **A/N: The calculations for Earthland/Celestial world alike:  
3 months on Earthland = 1 day in the Spirit World  
12 months is a year on Earthland, which would be 4 x three months  
Therefore, a year on Earthland 4 Spirit World days  
(number of spirit world days) divided by 4 (number of Earthland years)  
~Assuming a spirit world year is the same as ours, 365 days, five years would be 1825 days (could also be 1826 or 1827 with leap years). Divided by four, that would be about 456.5.**

 *****So 5 spirit world years 456.5 Earthland years*****

 **A/N 2: So...new story...hope you like :D**

 **And, the cloak is white with a gold trim.**

 **Please review and comment. I don't bite!**

 **Toodles!~~**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is a rewrite. I changed the ending, big time**

 **Please enjoy?**

Because Lucy has the ability to sense other spirits because of their celestial power, picking up the waves of celestial power was not all difficult for her to locate and conserve it for her own power.

She strode through a town just outside of the outskirt of where her family mansion sits. She activated her mystic senses, hoping to find her first spirit that had been scattered across the land. After activating her senses, she detected a wave of celestial power in a nearby houses that surrounded her.

Lucy immediately strode to the aforementioned area in which the spirit was located. She now stood in front of a medium sized building that seemed fishy and gaudy. But she paid no mind to the details and focused on the magical energy from the spirit. She recognized it all to well.

Chameleon was inside the building, unsummoned and waiting to be called forth.

Lucy proceeded to open the door and was immediately met with dozens pair of mean looking eyes glazing at her. If Lucy was normal, she would be scared. But she was not fazed. This was nothing compared to an angry and pissed Aquarius that wouldn't hesitate to hit her.

The men stopped what they were doing and looked at the little girl that had decided to walk in.

"Hey little girl. Are you lost?" One of the man asked with a smug on his face.

Lucy paid him no mind, sensing that he was not in possession of the spirit that she was looking for. She scanned the room, observing each men that seemingly to have naughty looks on their face until she landed on one man on the far end of the room.

Lucy can sense the celestial magic emitted from the man, and concluded that this was the man that has Chameleon. She quickly made her way to the man, ignoring the mutters and looks of the men that slowly surrounded the girl.

Lucy stopped, now two meters in front of the owner. "Hello mister."

The man turned from his activity stared at Lucy, wondering what a little girl that he never seen before wanted with him. "What you want brat."

Lucy inwardly smirked. Behind her cloak that she wore, she took out her keys out of the void and brought it out so the man could see.

"I can sense that you have a key. I want to battle you for it." Lucy glared at the man, looking quite intimidating for a little girl.

The man grinned. He was quite pleased and amused. "So it's a fight. The winner gets the loser's keys." The man was already excited. If he wins, he would get the golden keys.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Lucy smiled.

However excited the man was, he was a little suspicious, sensing that the girl was acting a bit confident. Nonetheless, he would have pleasure to make the girl cry after he wins. "Let's take this outside."

Lucy nodded and walked herself back outside, followed by the man, along with the other men, who were curious to how the fight would turn out.

Couple minutes later, Lucy stood next to a building, and the man stood opposite of her.

"There won't be a rematch. So be prepared." The man smirked as he crackled his knuckles. He knows that the golden keys are powerful, but he also assumed that the girl has little magical powers reserve, so he should have the advantage.

Lucy could, more or less, guess how cocky the man was.

When the battle began, the man immediately brought his Chameleon key out and summoned him. "The Gate of the Invisible! Chameleon!"

"Ekkk!" A voice cried when Chameleon appeared, already cowering behind his hands.

When Lucy catches a glimpse of the spirit, she could immediately tell that it had been abused. The magical energy that radiates from a person also have feeling from its owner, and this spirit in front of Lucy is not happy.

Lucy will definitely free Chameleon from this man...and give this spirit a proper home.

Lucy takes out her Taurus key and summoned him.

"Miss Luuuucy. I'm here to protect you!" Taurus mooed with his axe ready

"Taurus. Take him out!" Lucy yelled, pointing at the spirit in front of her.

Taurus lunged forward and swung his axe down on the spirit before him. But before his axe could make contact, Chameleon disappeared with a slight yelp.

Confusion swept upon Taurus's face. But Lucy knew what had happened. It was camouflage, Chameleon can become invisible.

The man, Lucy's opponent laughed loudly. "It's all over now!"

 _So the spirit will go after me, ignoring Taurus? Then I'll do the same. Celestial fusion! Taurus!_ Lucy mentally called out, already feeling a rush of magical energy that belongs to Taurus, thus gaining immense strength. Her hair begun to glow in a beautiful golden color, a sign that Lucy's using one of her celestial spirit's power.

Lucy closed her eyes, focusing on the magical energy that radiates from the celestial spirit. Right now, Chameleon was cowering on her right, slowly approaching Lucy with raised arms.

"Now, Chameleon!" The man yelled, wanting to get this over with and get Lucy's keys, and see the desperate look on Lucy when her keys are taken away.

Lucy sensed movement approaching her quickly, with Chameleon throwing his raised fist down on Lucy. Before Chameleon's fist connected with Lucy's face, Lucy stopped his punch with her own hand enhanced by the strength of Taurus, her eyes still closed. _Taurus, now!_ Lucy mentally called out to Taurus.

Taurus grinned as he brought his axe down on the spirit, violently sending him across the street with a harsh crash, dust dancing around.

Lucy stood in place, staring at the man in front of her, Taurus stood next to her with a large grin, holding his axe ready, ready to protect Lucy.

The man clenched his teeth before turning to his celestial spirit with a scowl. "Get up now, you piece of trash!"

When the dust settled, Chameleon was standing again, looking at Lucy with fear in his eyes. Unable to protest against his owner's orders, Chameleon ran forward, turning invisible once again.

Lucy takes a deep breath and stared at the man, while focusing on where the spirit was. Chameleon was behind Lucy this time. _So, he's changing tactics?_

Lucy could sense the spirit closing in on her at a fast pace, throwing his fist down on Lucy.

Lucy dodged at the last minute, and grabbed his fist, using his momentum, and yanked him toward the ground, immobilizing him in the process. With haste, Lucy brings her free hand, and with the strength of Taurus, she brings it down on the spirit's stomach with force that created a crater beneath Lucy and the spirit.

"I'm sorry." Lucy whispered as Chameleon disappeared in a puff of golden light.

Sighing inwardly with anger and rage, Lucy stood back up, and stared at the man. "I win."

The man stared at the man with wide eyes.

"Give me your key." Lucy demanded.

Then the man began to laugh. "Do you honestly think that I will willingly give you my key if I lost? No, I will forcibly take your key from you, and possibly kill you for fun."

Lucy frowned. She somewhat knew that it was going to happen, considering the gauntly atmosphere that these men emitted. All of these men here...she had a bad feeling about these men.

"I see. I suppose this was inevitable. Then shall I be unfair as well?" Lucy proclaimed with a small smirk.

 _Taurus. Go back. I'll shall deal with them myself. I'll summon you again if I'm in trouble_. Lucy mentally spoke to Taurus. Taurus nodded at Lucy before disappearing back to his celestial realm.

"Heh. What can you possibly do without your spirits?" One of the men smirked.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson, and I will take that key from you. And I will not hold back." Lucy declared, resting her eyes on the celestial mage before her.

"Get her!" The man in front of her yelled in front of her.

 _Celestial Fusion! Aquarius_! Lucy mentally called out, already feeling the power of the Water Bearer rushing into her body.

 **Water shield**! Lucy yelled, gathering water nearby, and willed it to surround Lucy as a shield, not allowing the men to cross over.

After gathering enough water, Lucy switched to another move, **Bubble Shot!** Lucy cried as bits of water began to shot outward, like little needles, targeting the men with force that sent them backwards couple meters away, knocking them into a state of unconsciousness in the process.

Soon after only three men were left standing, and one of them was the celestial mage, the owner of Chameleon. The one that Lucy needed to beat.

"This is your last warning. Give me your key." Lucy demanded.

The man shook with fear. "N-Never! I'll never admit defeat to such a child!"

Lucy sighed. "Very well."

 **Water Pillar**! Lucy yelled, gathering more water, manipulating the water into a massive pillar, striking the man from below, causing the man to be shot upward into the sky.

Lucy ignored the other two men, as they ran away with fright.

When the man came back down, he was down for the count and unconscious, liberated besieged with cuts and wounds. Lucy walks to the lump of meat, the wannabe celestial mage. She bent down and grabbed the key, mentally breaking the contact between the spirit and this man.

She'll have to make the contract later. She needed a safe place to call upon the spirit and make the contract.

 _I have 5 keys now. 83 keys left. This will be a long journey for me._

 **A/N: What you think? Please vote and comment on your thought. I don't bite ^^**

 **Toodles!~~**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is a rewrite! I added more juicy details throughout this chapter! Took longer than I though haha...**

 **Please enjoy?**

Lucy was in a search of hide and seek for the keys that she had yet to collect. Some keys had been proven rather difficult to locate, and difficult to subdue due to power differences and intelligence of the keys. It was thrilling, to be able to sense the nearby spirits, and battling to have them in her possessions. But it had been frustrating.

As of now, Lucy has six keys that she collected from their owners after a fair fight, and 24 silver keys that had been store-bought. 30 keys in total in her possession, and Lucy still have a long way to go.

Lucy wandered through the streets of Crocus that was packed with civilians. She strolled to a stop as she stopped on a sidewalk, and leaned against a building that rested behind her. She activated her mystic senses, hoping to at least locate a spirit in the area before taking a break for the day.

Couple minutes later, Lucy closed her eyes in frustration. No spirits were detected, this left Lucy in a state of frustration.

Not another moment, an explosion was heard in the distance, causing Lucy to reopen her eyes and follow her gaze to the source of the sound. She spots spoke rising to the sky behind some buildings.

She quickly debated within her mind on whether she should go and follow the source of the battle, or not. _Since there's no keys nearby, I might as well do it_.

Lucy begun to jog to the source of the site. Soon her sights became clouded, blocked by smoke that begun to surround the cloaked girl. Because of her fear of vulnerability, she called upon the invisibility power of the Chameleon, and willed herself to become unseen to naked eye.

Once satisfied with her safety, she proceeded deeper into the smoke and detected two bleak figures jumping out of a broken window that they've robbed. She observed that each of them carried one large bag that she assumed to be Jewels.

Right now, the men were just standing in the smoke, talking to each other, or complaining as Lucy observed, on where to go.

Lucy called forth the power of Taurus and stealthily walked in front of the unsuspecting robbers and brought her enhanced fists to the stomach of the robbers, sending them across the street. Their grip on the bags were loosened and rest gracefully on the ground.

Lucy takes a look at the bag for a moment before grabbing them and placing them in her void for the moment. She'll return it when things had been resolved.

She deactivated her invisibility and sauntered to the men that were recovering from the sudden ambush.

"The hell!?" One of the men cried, clutching his stomach as he rose to his full height. He started to look around until his eyes landed on the cloaked girl. "Was this you!?"

"Where's the money" The other man cried as he frantically looked around with concern.

"Huh"? The first man turned to the other man before looking around, noticing that the bags had disappeared from sight. "Shit!" He stomped his feet and turned back to Lucy with anger in his eyes. "Where is it?!"

"I don't reveal anything to criminals like you. I'll give you two choices: Surrender now, and I'll give you mercy. Or, resist, and I'll make sure you don't walk again." Lucy threatened.

The man gritted his teeth in frustration and anger as the other man begun to tremble with fear.

"Shit! I surrender!" The other man exclaimed as he fell to his knees, accepting his fate.

The first man, with much reluctance followed suit and surrendered with a scowl.

Lucy smiled. "Smart choice." She summoned some rope from the celestial realm and started to tie them together so an escape won't occur.

After the assurance of them being properly contained for the moment, Lucy then turned to the store that they had robbed and entered through the broken window. There was a crowd of onlookers that begun to form in the shop as they rose from their hiding spot.

"Is the owner here?" Lucy called out, looking at the people in the crowd.

Not a second later, a middle-aged man stepped forward with a slight smile. "I must thank you for stopping those robbers."

Lucy quickly nodded before opening her void and grabbed the two stolen bags and presented them in front of the owner. "I believe this belongs to you."

The owner stepped forward and looked through the bags for a moment before looking back at Lucy with a smile. "Yes, thank you so much. As a reward, I'll shall give you 100,000 jewels."

"That won't be necessary." Lucy raised her hand.

"Huh? But I need to reward you." The owner frowned.

Lucy smiled "What you can do is spread the word about me. I'm on a key hunt, trying to collect all the celestial keys."

"I-I see. Then, can I at least treat you something. It's on the house." The owner protested.

"Then, can I take the offer next time?"

"Of course. You are welcomed anytime." The owner smiled.

Lucy grinned back, but soon faltered with a frown as she felt a negative magic nearby, instantly dabbing it as one of the celestial spirits.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go. The police should be here soon to take those criminals." With that, Lucy ran out of the building and begun to follow the traces of the celestial wave that the spirits was emitting.

It was different than the one she had faced so far. It seemed full of hatred and negativity. Guess she'll find out when she comes face to face with the spirit.

Lucy kept her heightened senses active as she followed the celestial magic through the streets of Crocus.

Five minutes later, Lucy stopped herself in a plaza, sensing the magic to be everywhere. But the people that surrounded her seemed to be milling about with ease, as if nothing bad was happening. However, Lucy could still feel the magic…

She upped her mystic senses and focused on where the magic was coming from. She soon realized, with the murderous intent of the magical energy that she was sensing, she was about to face a fallen. This was Lucy's first time facing a fallen, so she wondered what the best possible way to approach the spirit was.

She then traced the spirit on the far left, couple meters out, down an alley. Lucy weaved herself through the crowds of people, making her way to the alley. Soon, she stood in the middle of the alleyway that was devoid of any other people in the area.

Lucy turned her head to the side, toward to the area of a dark shadow that lived there, where she senses a spirit hiding within the shadows.

"Show yourself, Corvus!" Lucy shouted into the darkness of the shadows, sensing that it was Corvus, because of his unique celestial power waves that it emitted.

Not too soon after demanding that, a shadowy figure arose from the shadows and stared at Lucy with a cold glaze with its red eyes that burned a dangerously blood-shot color.

"Corvus. The spirit of the Crow. The master of the shadows. Nice to meet you." Lucy relied politely, wanting to be on the good side of this fallen, the first one she had faced.

"Lucy Heartfilia. To think that you would seek me. Why would you want to find me? I've given up on being a celestial spirit." Corvus growled. "I have enough of this! Respect is what we silver keyed spirits do not have! Mages do not want us...! So why are you looking for me!" Corus was yelling as he ranted.

Lucy smiled sadly. "I'm sorry that you had felt that way. I'm sorry. But I am here to give you a chance."

"A chance?" Corvus cocked his head sideways in a mocking manner. "A CHANCE?! That's all you have to say!?" Corvus yelled sending his shadows toward Lucy, gripping her in a death grip. Lucy didn't even bother to dodge it, mostly because she didn't know a proper method of subduing a fallen.

"Do you know how lonely it had been?" Corvus snarled, tightening his grip with each work spoken.

Lucy remained silent.

"Do you even know how I felt!?" Corvus yelled, tightening his grip even more on Lucy, making her whimper from the slight pain.

"Corvus...You don't have to be lonely anymore. You can tell me...all your pains and loneliness. I'm here to listen to you. I want to be your friend."

Corvus loosened his grip ever so slightly. "Friend? Why the prophecy would want to be friends with me? Lucy Heartfilia of the Great Prophecy, tell me why are you here."

"Let's be friends."

Corvus gritted his teeth before throwing Lucy over his shoulder, across the alley with much force as he can muster. Lucy landed with a loud crash as she made contact with a cold stone wall.

"I don't like games, you little brat!" Corvus screeched.

Lucy clutched her sides, trying to numb the new pain that was being quickly registered, and struggled a little to get back to her feet. "I do not take this lightly, Corvus. I can be your owner. You don't have to be lonely again.

Corvus stayed silent, opting to study the cloaked woman before him.

"Corvus. I understand that most celestial spirits are mistreated and lonely. I understand that. But I'm here to change that." Lucy dared to take another step toward the spirit little by little.

Corvus gritted his teeth, a deep debate raging within his mind.

"Corvus. Join me in the mission of saving this world. We can work together." Lucy extended her hand as she neared the fallen, hoping that this would convince the spirit.

Corvus looked at Lucy's extended hand, then at Lucy. "Why do you want me? Just because I'm one of the celestial spirit, and that you need all 88 keys?"

Lucy smiled. "You're a celestial spirit, and you need a home. The prophecy has nothing to do with it."

"..."

Lucy took another step forward toward the spirit. "Corvus. I want to be your friend. Join me."

Corvus was tempted...he wanted a new home, a place where he would be needed. A place where he can have a friend. "Lucy...do you really mean it?"

"I never break my promises." Lucy smiled.

Corvus then extended his shadowy hand and hesitantly clasped onto Lucy's hand. Almost immediately, the body of the spirit begun to shimmer a bright golden light.

"Princess...thank you." Covus smiled as his body returned back he where he belongs.

Lucy glanced down in her hand, seeing a silver key that belonged to Corvus. That wasn't so bad, Lucy thought as she added the key to her ongoing collection of celestial keys. But next time, she ought to be careful next time, as her sides still hurts from when Corvus had violently thrown her across the alley

31 keys… So many constellations without a home. So many constellations suffering. It was Lucy's job to save them before it was too late.

* * *

Lucy made her way to her next destination that was raiding her mind. Balsam Village. She wanted to go there for two reasons. First was because she had never been there. Second, she had sensed a murderous magic that radiated in the area that surrounded the village. The powerful murderous intentions that it emitted, it magical powers could be sensed even with Lucy's naked being.

Walking couple more miles, the magical energy was growing more murderous and it brought a shiver down Lucy's spine. She was having a bad feeling about this, so she begun to teleport herself toward the site of the murderous energy.

She did not dared to go face to face with the unknown force of the entity that she was unsure of. She needed to know what she was facing, so she teleported little by little, making her way closer to the site of the brawl.

Then she arrived at the village of Balsam, to which the site before horrified her. Rubbles and debris decorated the roads, buildings were smashed and collapsed to the ground, and casualty was not absent.

Then a loud, deep howl was heard. Lucy turned her head to the direction of the howl and made her way toward it with caution, fearing her own safety and the anxiety that she felt as she neared the site of the howl.

Three minutes of powerwalking to the site, Lucy stopped dead in her tracks as she spots a gigantic beast and two mages that seemingly to be battling the beast.

She couldn't tell what was happening from the distance that she was at, so she decided to teleport and appeared behind the mages to ask them the situation that they had found themselves in.

Just when Lucy appeared behind them, unbeknownst to the mages, the girl that stood in front of the beast with her arms spread out, seemingly to guard the girl that was kneeling on the ground, was hit with the force of a thousand suns when the beast's arm was brought down upon her. The girl was violently sent across the clearing, disappearing into the collections of trees and bundles of branches and leafs, followed by the scream of despair of the girl on the ground.

Lucy stood with wide eyes as she realized the strength that the beast possesses. She watches the girl trying to get up and go after the girl that disappeared into the woods, only to be brought back down due to her injuries.

Lucy gritted her teeth as she stepped forward, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder to gain her attention. Once the girl's eyes were on the hooded figure, Lucy then proceeded to approach the beast with caution.

She quickly called upon the power of Taurus and Antila. Once the power settled within her, she dashed forward, appearing right in front of the beast, and immediately brought her fist down on the ground to create a diversion. Before the beast could do anything, she quickly sped away and appeared behind the beast and brought her fist down to the ground again. The beast turned around and moved his arm to the ground with a quick movement.

However, Lucy was faster, and disappeared before his fist could hit her. She now teleported to the top of the beast, and with the diversions that she had created, she immediately and quickly mustered all of Taurus's power and brought her fists down upon the beast's neck.

The force of the punch created a large crater beneath the beast and the beast collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. Lucy examined the beast before turning to back to the kneeling girl that had been watching with tears falling and clutching on her arm all the while.

But something else had caught her eye, the beast begun to shimmer a faint white light. Lucy watched as the beast begun to shrink into a smaller figure. Moments later, a young man with white hair was in its place.

Lucy approached the man to assure that the man was in the clear with non-threatening wounds. Once the assurance of his safety was fixed, Lucy turned and approached the kneeling the girl on the ground with tears in her eyes, and wounds liberating her body.

The girl stared at the hooded figure before her, tears still proving a difficult task to halt its release.

"That man will live. Now we should go and find that girl." Lucy spoke up once she rendered the girl to be safe in terms of injuries.

The girl looked at Lucy before resting her eyes upon the figure of the man, then back at Lucy with a nod. She tried to get up on her feet, but failed to stay stable on her feet, and stumbled back to the ground with a whimper.

Lucy silently sighed before grabbing the girl's arm and wrapped it around her neck and started to drag to girl into the woods.

The girls started to look around, past the limbs of trees and branches to find a limp, and hopefully alive girl on the ground.

Couple minutes later, they spotted the girl past some broken trees that may had been impacted from the trajectory of the girl's flight.

The girl that Lucy was carrying immediately let go and limped forward, but soon fell to her knees. Persistence, she started to crawl to the girl on the ground. "Lisanna!"

Lucy watched as the girl quickly crawled to the limp girl that laid silently on the ground and stared to softly shake her. She studied the limp girl for a moment before realizing the extent of the injuries.

She walked forward and knelt on the other side of the limp girl and extended her hand over the girl.

"What are you doing?" The girl asked, while hold the limp girl's hand in her own.

"Right now, she is dying." Lucy said, seeing the immediate effect of the girl trembling with fear. "But I can save her with my magic." Lucy continued.

The girl stood in silence as Lucy performed her magic on the limp girl. Lucy's magic begun to emit from her hand, and absorbing into the girl. Her magic condensed and expanded, restoring and healing the damaged area that had been inflicted with injury and pain.

Soon, the threatening injury subsided, and the limp girl was no longer in danger. Lucy pulled her hand away and stood back to her feet, looking at the girl. "She'll live."

The girl then cried and gently embraced the limp girl. "Thank you, miss!"

Lucy smiled behind her cloak. "May I ask what happened?"

The girl sat back up and looked at the hooded figure before her. "I took my little brother and my little sister on an S-Class job…"

Lucy sensed some guilt in her tone of voice. "I'm guessing you're regretting it?"

The girl nodded. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Lucy."

"Lucy? Well…thank you so much. Thank you for saving my siblings…"

"Life is more precious than a dangerous mission. Treasure what you have, and don't take it for granted." Lucy smiled.

The girl slightly nodded and looked down on her sister. Then she looked back up, "I'm Mirajane. This is Lisanna, and the man that you subdued is my brother Elfman."

Lucy shook her head in understanding. "I see. You should be blessed to have a family, as they are the only connections that you have in life, other than the connections of friends and such."

Mirajane nodded a little. "I see…I'm guessing you don't have any family?"

"No."

Mirajane then beamed as an idea had popped into her mind. "Then join our guild! We are like a big family, and it's full of good people, and some annoying people…" Mirajane muttered the last part under her breath.

"Guild? What is it?"

"Fairy Tail!"

"Fairy Tail?" Lucy repeated with a tone of unsuspecting awareness of revelation.

Mirajane nodded with a smile. "It's a great place if you want a family. You'll be welcomed."

Lucy then smiled. She does remember reading something about Fairy Tail from a letter from her Father.

"I'll keep that in mind when I'm ready."

Mirajane smiled. "When you do, I'll give you a warm welcome."

Lucy smiled back. "That would be nice."

Mirajane then struggled to get to her feet, and looked at Lucy through her hood, though she couldn't see anything, she still looked through where the eyes should be. "Thank you very much. When you join, I'll make sure that it will the best welcome party ever."

Lucy smiled. "I'll be looking forward to that then."

After receiving assurance that Mirajane have everything covered, to attending her little sister as well as her little brother, Lucy then teleported away, away from the scene, away from the destroyed village of Balsam.

 **A/N: This was rather difficult to rewrite :D But I managed it in the end, plz tell me if this version is better than the original :P**

 **Please comment and review on your thoughts on this chapter! I don't bite~~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is a rewrite! Added and removed some details! *This is a special chapter***

 **This chapter will be the only chapter to be in 1st POV, where Lucy had just been sent to the Celestial Realm. Think of it as a flashback...**

 **Please enjoy?**

1st person P.O.V (Lucy)

"Where's mommy?" I cried, scanning the room for my mom with fright. I felt lonely and wanted to be in the arms of her mother.

A mermaid woman sat...how can a mermaid sit...well...she sat in front of me with a scornful look like I wasn't the best thing to look at. "Little brat. Quit being a pest."

"Aquarius! Lucy is only 5. It's only natural for her to want her mother." A goat man said as he walking into my view. I stared at the goat man, intrigued by how a goat could walk.

Then there was a bright light that blinded me for a second, and before I knew it, I was embraced.

"I'm here, my sweet little Lucy."

I looked at the person that was hugging me. "Mommy, who are these people? They're scary."

Mom pulled away with a chuckle. "No worries, my little sunshine. They'll be your new friends."

"Friends?" I looked around at the different looking monsters. A mermaid, a goat man, a crab-looking man...and a cow man.

"They are celestial spirits. They'll help you train for the struggles that you'll face in the futures.."

I was confused now. Why would I need to train? But these spirits looks scary too. "Mommy, will you train me?"

"Of course."

I was relieved. I didn't want mommy to leave yet.

"Want to meet the Celestial King?" Mom smiled.

"King?! Yes!" I was about to meet a king. I never met a king before!" I was jumping with bursting energy.

Then there was another golden flash, and a giant man with HUGE mustache appeared before me and my mom.

"Hello, old friend. Hello young one." The mustache man said.

I quickly hid behind my mommy, scared because the giant mustache man seemed so intimidating to me. "He won't eat me, will he?" I muttered quietly

Mommy turned to me with a laugh. "Now why would you say that?"

"He reminds me of a Dragon. Dragons eats people!"

Mommy ruffled my head with a chuckle. "No, he's quite friendly. He's a great guy."

Then Mommy turned back to the King. "We'll be in your care until the times comes."

"Likewise." The Celestial King replied

Then Mommy turned back to me with a serious look. "Lucy, you need to train to become stronger. I'll have Capricorn teach you the basics. I'll watch from the sidelines."

I wondered who Capricorn was until a goat man appeared as if on cue. Guess this is Capricorn.

"Princess, we'll begin the training immediately." Capricorn said, leaving no room to complain.

I turned to Mommy for reassurance and all I got was a smile. I turned back to the goat man with a nervous smile. "O-Ok."

...

It had been 3.5 years since I entered a world of the spirits. I learned many things. The different constellations. All I know there are 88 of them. But I was required to remember the names of each constellations and how to identify each on by the magical waves that they emit.

I was taught how to open celestial gates with their keys. I even learned how to summon them mentally, but I have to have a contract with them first in order to summon them menatally.

Then there's Celestial Fusion. I haven't mastered it yet. They explained to me that when I fuse with a spirit, my attire changes. But for some reason, my attire stays the same...only the power of the spirits is the difference. Not that I minded, of course. I love my clothing, and I was also told that if my attire should change, it would be very skimpy, so I am quite relieved that my clothing attire would not change. Though the only effects is my hair glowing a beautiful color of gold, a sign that I am using my celestial spirit's power.

There was not a day in the Celestial Realm that I had relaxed...they wouldn't let me. Mother was a bit strict as well, but she was gentle while she was training me.

They once told me that the world will be in a danger if I slack off. I had many questions...but I will find out what the answers are. Mother told me that I will know when the time's right.

"Lucy."

I turned to see Mother looking sad. "What is it, Mother?"

"I need to leave to go back to Earthland."

I was silent for a moment. "Mother...why?"

"I need to...prepare some things." Mother hesitated. "You will know once you come back to Earthland."

I was...distraught. Sad. Confused. Mother's leaving me here...alone with the spirits. "Will I see you again?"

My mother only smiled.

"I must go. Listen to the Celestial King...and remember that these celestial spirits are your friends."

I only nodded, fighting back some tears of my own. "See you soon."

Mother bent down and embraced me tightly. I felt...odd. Something tells me otherwise that it will be a long time before I can see Mother again...Or am I just thinking too much on it?

I watched as Mother walked through a portal...disappearing into the unknown world of Earthland.

"Princess. We must resume our training." Capricorn said, appearing next to me all the sudden.

As sad as I was, as lonely as I already was, I must continue my training for whatever reasons. I trust my mother if she told me to train, and I trust my mother...and I won't let her down.

"Alright." I turned to Capricorn and followed him to my training grounds and resumed my trainings.

...

Now I'm ten. I miss Mother terribly, it's been so lonely here...her smile and warmth. I can only hope that could see her again.

I now know the names of all the constellations and their powers. I can sense where they are...or more specially sense if they are nearby.

I stand before the Celestial King, along with some of my other spirits that I have contacts with...which is not a lot. Aquarius, Capricorn, Taurus, and Cancer. Those are the only keys I have. I was told that some of the other keys had gone missing and it was up to me to find them.

"Lucy Heartfilia. It is time for your journey to start." Celestial King started. "But first, it is time for you to know everything. Why your mother had left, and why you are in the Celestial Realm."

I stood with anticipation. I had been waiting for 5 years to hear the whole truth of the situation.

"For you to succeed. You must know the Prophecy. 456 years ago, we had been given a prophecy that will forever change the world. It involves us spirits and humans alike."

Prophecy? 456 years ago? Does it have to deal with mother leaving?

"Lucy. Hear the Prophecy, for you are the Great Prophecy." The Celestial King boomed.

Great Prophecy? What does that mean?

 **A/N: 3.5 years in the celestial realm is almost a 300 years in Earthland years.**

 **I suck ass on 1st POVs**

 **Please comment and review on this special chapter! I don't bite~~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is a major** **rewrite.**

 **Lucy is no** **longer** **the** **Wizard Saint. I am** **making** **her** **a special case wizard that** **helps** **out** **the** **council. (** **I'll** **be editing other chapters as well)**

 **Sorry** **for** **the** **inconvenience**

 **Please enjoy?**

Walking through the streets of Crocus, Lucy kept her senses on high alert. Being aware of her surroundings and batting every chances that she could come across, Lucy continues on her mission of key hunts and finding the missing links on her prophecy.

54 keys are now in her possessions. 6 golden keys and 48 silver keys had been collected and added to her ongoing, progressive collection.

As thrilling and exciting this adventure has been so far, it also has been frustrating for the lack of break and vacations. Almost day and night, Lucy had been the victim of a ruthless sleep deprivation. The prophecy that they had spoke of, the prophecy of the future, the celestial spirits were and still are restless. They had been putting pressure on the blonde girl on finding all of the keys before it was too late, to find the keys and find the missing links to the prophecy.

The pressure of the mission that was bestowed to the girl, and the trust that her mother had shown, Lucy vowed to do what she can do. She won't disappoint the spirit of her mother that may be watching her, and she'll make her parents proud.

Then she sensed a flare of magic and begun to surround Lucy. Lucy stopped dead in her tracks as she stared into an invisible wall that she knew was there. She raised her hand and touched the invisible wall, seeing a reaction of purple runes dancing in the air.

Then a swarm of soldiers in white appeared from behind the buildings and begun to surround the cloaked girl outside of the barrier.

"Who are you?" Lucy demanded, observing each soldiers that had their weapons raised.

A particular man that wore a different attire than the rest of the soldiers stepped forward with confidence. "I am Lahar of the council."

Lucy studied the man a bit more with a criticizing glaze. "And care to explain why you would go such length on containing me? As I recall, I haven't create a havoc on you people." Lucy scowled. She hated being contained like this, and she felt like it was an insult to be trapped like this, after everything she had gone through.

"I had been sent by the council to receive a mage named Gamma Ibis. I reckon that is you?" Lahar asked with his questioningly glaze set on the cloak girl.

Lucy sighed, remembering when she had first heard of the name that she had no control over. "I am the person that you seek. What you want from me?"

"The council would like to invite you to be in their presence."

Lucy continued to glare at the man beneath her hood as she took one step backwards, wondering if the intentions of the council were just as bad as the mages that had been trying to target her.

"As far as I know, they only want to offer you something. It isn't anything related to the destruction of your battles with other celestial mages. Don't worry, you're in the clear." Lahar reassured, sensing the tensed muscles under the cloak.

Lucy stared at the man some more before taking his word for it. "Alright. I'll over there then." She turned and opened her void.

"Wait! I was ordered to escort you back to the council!" Lahar cut in before Lucy could disappear from sight.

Lucy looked over her shoulder to glare at the man. "Don't worry. I'll tell them that you did your job." She jumped into her void before Lahar or the other soldiers could do anything else to her.

It only took Lucy three minutes to appear before the building of the councilmen. The building resembled a giant castle, surrounded by protective shields and soldiers on patrol. Lucy walked to the front of the castle and made her way pass curious soldiers that merely watched the cloak girl sauntered past them.

Lucy continued on and walked past the set of the doors that opened on their own when she approached it. Walking past the set of doors, she spots a strange, humanoid creature that resembled a frog, walking past door with sacks of books in its hands.

"Excused me, froggie. But can give me directions to where the councilmen are? Lucy called out, halting the frog creature in it's walk.

The frogman turned to Lucy with a scowl when she had said 'forggie'. "First, don't call me 'froggie. Second, why are you here?"

"I was sent." Lucy replied, trying her best not to stare that those weird eyes, even if the frogman couldn't see her staring at him.

The frogman seems to accept her answer, and told Lucy the directions on where the room of the council is. After receiving the direction from the frog, Lucy bid him farewell and made her way to the councilmen.

Couple minutes later, Lucy arrived at a giant set of doors. Without knocking, she pushed the doors opened and walked in, seeing at least 10 councilmen sitting in their seats, talking amongst each other. Some complaining, and some just casual talking.

The talks quieted down as they registered another presence in their room. The men turned to the girl with a questioning look.

"And you are?" One of the council man asked with frown.

"Gamma Ibis. Is what that they decided to call me. Now, I am here after being flanked by your man, Lahar."

"Ah, Gamma Ibis. We've been expecting you. But where is Lahar?" The other council men nodded in agreement, wondering where Lahar was.

"I merely went ahead of them. But Lahar and his men did their job...now that I am here. Now my only question remains...why am I here?" Lucy inquired, getting straight to the point.

The council men was silent for a moment before first councilman spoke up. "Gamma Ibis. We had heard many stories about you."

"And...?"

"We want to offer you a proposal."

"A proposal?"

"We wish to appoint you as a special mage that complete a mission given by us. Rewards will be high and you will have more privilege that regular mages do not."

"Hmm? Special mage? As tempting that does sounds, I must decline the offer." Lucy replied with a polite tone.

There were a moment of silence, followed by silent collective gasps from some councilmen.

"Will that be all? I must be going now" Lucy said before turning when one of the councilman decided to speak up.

"Wait, can you at least tell us why you don't want the title?" The councilman asked.

"Then tell me why you want me to have the title?" Lucy frowned as she turned to stare at the councilmen.

Before any of the councilmen could answer her, there was a loud laugh coming from a certain councilman, a man with blue hair and red tattoos over his right eye.

"You're quite smart, cloak girl! We just merely want to control you. Have you do dirty jobs for us. Nothing more, nothing else." The blue-haired man smirked.

"Seigrain!" Another councilman stood up with fury, glaring at the man with displeasure. "Don't sprout lies!"

Lucy planted herself in place, unmoving, as the council started to argue amongst themselves. She paid the arguments no mind and focused on the blue-haired man. She could sensed an anomaly, something that made him different from all the rest.

Yet he seemed so real and alive. She wondered how it managed to weave itself into a position of power.

Before Lucy think too much in it, a voice screamed a name that she was yet accustomed to.

"Gamma Ibis!"

Lucy forced herself back to reality and eyed the man that called her name. "Yes?"

"We apologize for our..." One of the councilman said as he glared at Seigrain "Member." Then he turned back to Lucy with a smile. "But rest assured, we will not force the title on you. We are merely offering to position to you. And for the record, we will not have you do dirty jobs."

"May I ask why you chose me?" Lucy asked, wanting a more elaborate reasoning.

"To be honest, we need more wizards strong enough to fight dangerous guilds and protect the defenseless against a force of nature or any form of evil entities."

Lucy stayed silent for a moment before an idea sprouted in her mind. "If I were to accept the title, will I get anything in return?"

"Well...money?" The councilman frowned.

Lucy shook her head. "Celestial keys. I will do the missions for celestial keys only."

"Celestial keys...and not money?"

Lucy nodded.

The councilmen started to talk amongst themselves again, leaving Lucy to stand in silence.

Once they had reached to a conclusion, they faced her again, with a question in mind. "Before we agree, can you show your face?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm afraid I cannot do that. Security reasons."

"Then can you tell us your name?"

"Gamma Ibis?" Lucy didn't really want to reveal her name just yet, not to these people. Especially with people like Seigrian.

The councilmen gathered again to talk and vote. After a few more minutes, they turned back to Lucy.

"We had come to an agreement. If you accept our proposal and complete missions that we offer you, a reward will consist of money and celestial keys. Deal?"

Lucy took in the information and debated on the pros and cons for accepting this type of job.

"I suppose I could accept that proposal." Lucy said with a silent sigh.

"Great! Now we already have a job ready for you."

Lucy regarded the man with a nod. "Make sure you have a celestial key waiting for me." Lucy paused for a moment. "Just remember, if you don't have a key ready, I will give you back my title and rain hell of those that did not keep their promises." Lucy threatened.

To Lucy, promises were the most important thing to her. A connection, a link, a hope. Celestial spirits treasured it the most as well, and taught her just how important they are. Lucy would die first before breaking a promise, or betray her loyalty to anyone that trusted her.

"I also won't do any mission if a key is not involved." Lucy added, just to get her point across.

"Y-yes...I understand. But rest assured, we have a key already ready. Now, all you have to do is wipe out one of the major guild. They call themselves Oracion Seis." The councilman hesitated a little, a little fearful of the cloaked girl.

Lucy narrowed her eyes before activating her mystic senses, to determine if they do have keys in their possessions. she sensed 6 keys: Orhicuchus, Lacerta, Musca, Hydrus, Pavo, and Aquila. Lucy will inwardly smirked, seeing how strong some of the keys were.

"Oracion Seis? A Dark Guild? And you want me to kill them or arrest them?" Lucy asked

"Arrest them if possible."

Lucy nodded slightly. "I expect a key to be ready to be collected when I come back." She then opened a void and quickly disappeared into it before anyone else could anything else. There was nothing else to say, as there was nothing to change or complain. Lucy now set off to start searching for a dark guild.

* * *

Dark guilds was not foreign to her, as she had faced them many times during her key hunts. Now she needed to find one. Which will be difficult as tracking is not in her field.

She summoned on her spirits to help her with that. "Open, Gate of the Hunter! Canes Venetic!"

In a puff of golden light, a humanoid dog appeared with a howl.

Any berries, woof?" Canes growled playfully with a grin.

Lucy could only chuckle. "No. But I can give you some later if you help me out with something."

Canes looked at Lucy with a grin, showing his fangs. "Very well. What will you have me to do, woof?

"I need to track a Dark Guild called Oracion Seis. The last sightings of them was around here." Lucy explained.

"Woof! Tracking! It's been so long since somebody asked me to do this! Woof! So excited! Woof Woof! I will definitely help you! Woof!" Canes howled with excitement as he jumped around with joy, ready to get to work.

Lucy smiled at the enthusiasm of the spirit. "Well then, we should get started then."

"Of course, woof!"

* * *

It was hard, and it wasn't hard. Oracion Seis was located ways away, couple of days away, as Canes had concluded from the tracks that he sniffed out. Thankfully, getting there wasn't a problem.

Lucy quickly used her void to teleport to the site that Canes spoke of. Now, only couple miles away to where Oracion Seis should be, Lucy readied herself as she watched Canes panting with excitement.

"Woof! I'm sure you can take care of the rest. Thank you for calling me! This was the most fun I had in ages! Woof!" Canes barked.

"Glad you had fun. Now I need you to go back now. I need to follow them, or I'll lose their tracks."

"Woof! Good luck, Princess!" Canes howled before complying, disappearing back into his world.

With the spirit now back to its world, Lucy was left with the opposition of uncertainty. She didn't have a proper plan to properly attack this particular job. She did some research on the guild, only to find that it was only composed of six members. She couldn't properly concentrate with Canes howling with excitement with every second.

So she was a bit unprepared.

So improvising was her only chance. But she needed to observe the members head on.

Lucy started to walk forward to where Canes had pointed to. After ten minutes of walking through trees, branches, and bushes, she suddenly sensed them.

The waves of celestial spirits were nearby, or more accurately, golden keys were present. Lucy grinned as she realized that she would get more than she bargained for, and it was perfect for her.

Aries, Scorpio, Gemini, and Caelum were the spirits that Lucy had identified. She was particularly excited because Gemini was the one spirit that she will mostly need during her missions of the prophecy. But she needed to defeat the current owner first.

Then Lucy stopped dead in her tracks as she sensed more magical energy, which was heading straight toward her.

"I can hear it. The sounds of your defeat."

"A white cloak...Hmph."

"Money will be needed to beat this mysterious cloak person."

"It must be quick."

"Zzz."

"What is your business?" The man with tattoos and a staff stepped forward with frown.

Lucy observed each spirit with criticizing glaze as she studied and guessed on what they may be capable of.

"I'll be taking you to your new home, which is prison." Lucy smirked under her hood.

The man with the staff smirked. "Oh? I like to see you try when taking on my five men directly."

Lucy only smirked under her hood. "A challenge is just what I need."

 **A/N: This is part one. Part 2 will be in the next chapter**

 **Please comment and review on your thoughts of this chapter. I don't bite ~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is a rewrite! A _MAJOR_ one! This took me sooo long!**

 **Part 2 of this mini arc**

 **Pleaase enjoy?**

Standing in front of the six mages was enough to make Lucy questing her own strength. She could feel the power that was being emitted by these people, and that intimidated her. This was the first time a mage had actually intimidated her like this. She was a bit glad that she did some research on them before setting out to locate them.

Although intimidated, Lucy was still confident in her intelligence and power, especially with her spirits. She quickly summoned Taurus, Sagittarius, Corvus, Hydra, Centaur, and Delphinus through telepathic means.

Heeding to her call, shimmers of bright golden light appeared on both side of Lucy, and six figures stood in place of the light.

 _Delphinus! Use your telepathy powers and find out what powers they have and share it with us. so we can formulate a corrective plan to take them out with ease. The rest of you, pick a target and begin your assault. I'll go for the commander_. Lucy ordered using the telepathy of her powers, getting straight to the point, and leaving no room fro any arguments.

The spirits complied and took their fighting stance as they compromised on who they should fight. Delphinus stood in place as she begun to read the mind of the enemies for any weaknesses and advantages of any kind.

Lucy carefully approached the commander of the guild, feeling anxious and conflicted. She couldn't feel an enormous power from the man. The reports that she had read had indicated that the commander was the most powerful of the all. She was left wondering where had that power gone to? And was the report false? Or was there something else factored into this?

She mentally called upon the power of Taurus for defensive means as she neared the commander.

Not another second, a girl with short white hair suddenly jumped in Lucy's path, halting the blonde's movement.

"If I didn't know any better, that was celestial magic, right? I didn't see you summon them, and it is obvious that you are their owner." The girl scowled.

"I am not their owner, I am their friend. There's a difference." Lucy frowned as she stared at the girl, to which she remembered her as Angel Sornano.

"Oh? Well then, I will be your opponent. I will enjoy taking your keys, and ending your pathetic life." Angel smirked.

Lucy lowered her head a little with a small hint of joy. She could sense the spirits, and the owner of those spirits was in front of her. All she needed to do was knock this girl out and the spirits will be hers.

 _Princess, I had quickly analyzed the mind of Angel, the girl before you. I warn you to be careful, as she does not think highly of the spirits and uses them as tools._ The voice of Delphinus ringed in the blonde's mind as she stared at the target before her.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at the revelation that she just learned. Celestial spirits are another entity that possesses feelings and have a sense of pain, and personalities. The opposition of those that devalues the laws of rights, must be taken down with force. Lucy will gladly take on Angel first, and fight the commander later. This was too important too her to ignore for the time being.

"Mercy will not be in my vocabulary as I fight you, and I will take you down." Lucy declared as she glared at the woman before her with hints of anger.

Angel smirked. "Heh, I like to see you try. Which spirit will you have ordered to attack me?"

"None. I will be taking you down."

Angel laughed a little too creepily for Lucy's taste. "Fighting on your own now, huh? What can you possibly do without your pathetic spirits?"

Lucy gritted her teeth angrily at the word 'pathetic'. "I am not alone. What had made you think I was alone?"

"We've done our research, Gamma Ibis. We know that you've been targeting celestial keys, and we guessed that you may be after me too. Just know that I will not give up my keys very easily."

Lucy smirked. "I see. Well, as much as it is the truth that I am collecting celestial spirits, it is not the primary reason for why I am here right now."

Angel frowned.

"The council sends their regards as I am to arrest you." Lucy finished.

Angel stood with shock as she turned to the commander. "Is this true!?"

The commander had just opened one of his magic, archive magic, and started to search through the database of knowledge.

"It appears to be effective, as it had been verified only yesterday." The commander frowned for a moment before laughing. "I see, so the council is making their move now? How can a little girl be ale to take down the mighty Oracion Seis?"

"Only one way to find out." Lucy cut in, itching to start fighting them, not wanting to continue standing around with casual talks.

Already having the power of Taurus inside her, she additionally called upon Antlia for speed.

With the combination of speed and strength, Lucy lurched forward, leaving only a trail of dust from where she had stood. With her strength, she brought her fist, aiming it toward Angel's stomach.

Before Lucy could even land a scratch on her opponent, a flash of light and steel blocked her punch. Lucy immediately reeled back in shock, painted with confusion for a split second before realizing that it was a spirit that had blocked her. Scorpio stood in front of his owner, his tail a bit bent from her punch earlier.

Lucy quickly devised a second tactic and diversion. Still feeling the power of the spirits inside of her, Lucy lurched forward, running toward the spirit and the owner. When she reached a distance of only 10 inches, Lucy disappeared from sight, leaving the spirit and the owner to start frantically looking around.

Then from behind, Lucy stealthily and quickly brought a kick toward the owner, and violently sent her tumbling across the clearing.

When Angel rolled to a stop, she started to struggle back to her feet with much trouble. Once on her feet, she stared at Lucy for a moment before staring at Scorpio, who had not moved an inch.

"You're supposed to protect me, you piece of trash! Why are you just standing there!?" Angel cried, glaring at Scorpio with anger present in her eyes.

Scorpio did not say anything, opting to stay mute, only giving Lucy a quick glance.

"Gah! Go back to where you belong, you scum!" Angel raised her key and forced the spirit back to its world. She then turned to face the cloaked girl. "What did you do?"

"I had not done anything. If anything, you should blame yourself for the way you treat your spirits." Lucy growled lightly before running toward her opponent. She raised her fist as she reached a certain distance and attempted to bring it down on her opponent.

Before Lucy could even land a proper attack on Angel, she felt a weight of an overweight man crushing on top of her as she moved. Before she realized it, she was kicked in the stomach, hurling backwards couple meters out.

Lucy heaved slightly as she clutched her stomach as she rose to her full height. She looked around to find the cause of the attack, only to see that there was another person that looked so much like her.

She immediately knew what was happening. And she knew who the person who looked so much like her.

Lucy knew that this would be a difficult task, as Gemini, the spirit that transformed into her, was known to be a extremely loyal companion, despite the fact that it may be misused.

"I don't know who you are exactly. But right now, I am the strongest. And since Gemini had taken the liberty of transforming into you, let's find out who you look like." Angel smirked.

Lucy gritted her teeth as she turned to Gemini, who had a hand over the cloak, grabbing it and throwing if off, uncovering the form of who Lucy truly looks.

"Not only are you strong, but it seems that you have a pretty face." Angel hummed evilly as she stared at Gemini Lucy before turning to the cloak figure. "I will be enjoying this. I will be enjoying the screams of your pain-filled face."

"You're sick!" Lucy muttered angrily. "I swear that I will take you down and take you to prison. These celestial spirits will be happier with a different owner that is not you."

"I like to see you try." Angel smirked.

Lucy narrowed her eyes again. She turned to face Gemini, who had yet to move an inch, still in the form of Lucy. She knew the full extent of Gemini's power, and she should not take him lightly. She needed to find a way to fight around this spirit in order to get to Angel with any trouble.

"You have no chance of winning, cloakie!" Angel yelled as she brought out another key. "Open! Gate of the Ram! Aries!"

A young girl with pink hair and horns appeared with a puff of smoke.

Angel then pointed at Lucy. "Aries, beat this girl senseless. Gemini, you do your thing and kill this girl!"

Lucy could sense anger radiating from Angel. Guess she had pressed too many buttons, but that's what she needed. Anger can blind a person's sense of rational thinking on a battlefield. She had learned that while in the celestial realm. She will put it in good use and use it to her advantage.

Aries made the first move by sending an attack of wool toward Lucy. The blonde dodged it with ease, and still feeling the power of Taurus inside of her, she brought her fist down upon the ground. A shockwave was sent toward the spirit, powerful enough to send the ram spirit back to the celestial realm.

Angel stomped her feet in frustration. "The archive didn't say anything about you having another type of magic! You're only supposed to be a celestial mage!"

"I am. I am using another form of celestial magic." Lucy smirked, careful not to reveal too much to her enemy.

"Huh? As far as I am concerned, you can only summon them with a key. But I haven't seen you summon one. Are you truly a celestial spirit? Who are you?"

"Why don't you ask Gemini?" Lucy grinned underneath her hood as she extended her arm outward, a void opening in the process. She reached in and grabbed her collection of celestial keys, bringing it out of the void to show Angel. "While I do need keys to summon celestial spirits, I only need to have a contract with them. There is more to the concept of summoning them without the keys. But someone like you will never be able to achieve that level of feat. It is best for you to give up as a celestial mage."

Angel was visibly shaking with anger, which brought a small smirk the Lucy's mouth.

Lucy grabbed one of the keys and decided to be old-fashion and summoned one of the spirits. "Open! Gate of the Arrow! Sagitta!"

Heeding to her call, a puff of golden light appeared next to Lucy. A man with sacks of arrows strapped to his back. "Princess!, I am here, heeding to your call, Sir!"

Lucy inwardly sighed before performing a celestial fusion with the spirit. A weapon of an archer appeared in Lucy's hand as a result of the fusion.

 _Sagitta, I have a plan that I need you to follow._ Lucy telepathically spoke to her spirit, a plan that could possibly take out both Angel and Gemini.

 _Understood, Sir!_ Sagitta responded back after hearing the plan from his master.

"Sagitta, follow my lead!" Lucy yelled as she used Antlia's power, disappearing from sight, and lurched forward toward Angel. She was now stealthily behind Angel, and with quick movement, she pulled back the string of the bow, and an arrow appeared in place, ready to fire. She aimed it toward Angel's leg and immediately released her hold, and watched as the arrow soared through the air.

For a split second, Gemini had lurched forward with frightening speed and was close enough to deflect the arrow to protect his owner. Luckily for Lucy, her plans were working as Sagitta had fired arrows after arrows toward Gemini, causing him to reluctantly dodge.

The arrow that Lucy had shot had met with it target, wedging itself in Angel's calf, blood already seeping out. Lucy pitched forward as the agonizing screams of her opponent was heard, using this opportunity to land a final and hard punch, sending Angel to the ground with a loud thud. Seconds later, Lucy considered Angel to be out of commission for the time being.

"Mission accomplished, Sir! Gemini had been successfully sent back to the realm." Sagitta cheered.

"Yes. Good job, Sagitta." Lucy smiled at her spirit.

 _Delphinus! How are things with the other members?_ Lucy called out to the spirit as she started to look around.

Almost immediately, Delphinus replied back with a tired tone. _Princess, only two remained. Hoteye and Midnight. And then there's the commander._

 _Alright, I go for the commander, I'll send Sagitta to assist you._ Lucy replied back before cutting the connections.

She turned back to her spirit. "Go and help the others."

Sagitta complied. "Alight, Princess. Good luck, Sir!" He started off in the direction to where he believed the other spirits were.

Lucy smiled as the form of her spirit disappeared behind the trees and branches. There was nothing more she loved than her pride as a celestial spirit. She vows to provide a better home for these spirits.

She glanced at the limp girl that she had already taken out of commission. With haste, she approached the girl and grabbed the keys that was in her possession. She broke the contract between the two and threw the keys into her void. Now, all that was left is to face the commander.

"You have potential, cloak girl."

Lucy twirled around when a sudden voice was registered. Lucy turned to see the commander behind her with a wide smirk, as if he was amused, and it sent chills down the blonde's spine.

"And my potential will lead to your defeat."

The commander laughed to that response. "I am amused to the fact that you were able to take on my generals."

"Will you be even more amused if I put your ass in jail?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"I'll only believe it if I can see it." The commander smirked.

Lucy regarded the man for his lack of rational thinking. She quickly called upon the power of Taurus and summoned one of her spirits for assistance. "Open! Gate of the Reticle! Reticulum!"

A flash of golden light appeared next to Lucy, to which Reticulum stood in place with confidence.

"Princess! How may I help you?" Reticulum inquired with a polite and formal tone.

"I need your help in defeating this man."

Reticulum turned to the aforementioned man before getting into his fighting stance. "I understand."

Lucy dashed off in one direction, and Reticulum dashed off in the other direction. A plan already formed and shared through their telepathic ability. The plan of diversion by destroying the ground and forcing their opponent to be side-tracked with extra details of entities in the battlefield.

As soon Lucy had destroyed the ground, Lucy was about to move to the next stage in her plan until a hard punch was met with her stomach. The punch had sent Lucy skidding across the ground, scrapping and tearing her skin and dirtying her white cloak in the process.

Lucy laid on the ground for a few seconds to fully register on what had transpired. She sat up to look for the source of the punch, only to see Midnight standing next to the commander. She was not expecting any other interruptions, expecting the other general to be already eliminated.

She started to rise to her full height with difficulty.

 _Delphinus. Midnight is here, what's going on?"_ Lucy asked through her telepathic ability.

Couple seconds later, which was followed only by silence. Lucy figured that her spirit was sent back to the realm.

Lucy sighed as he stared at the two men that was facing her, completely ignoring Reticulum that was standing behind them.

"Cloakie. Join us." Commander spoke up before Lucy could start coming up with another plan.

"Huh? Why should I?" Lucy frowned.

The commander spread his arms as he grinned. "For freedom! So we can be rulers of this land!"

Lucy frowned some more. "Freedom? Last time I checked, we already have freedom."

"No. We never had been free, we will never be free as long as there are ignorant people living on this land. Only the strongest survive!" The commander chuckled followed by a evil smirk.

"I'm afraid I don't understand that logic, which is not logical." Lucy replied with a flat tone.

She then took a stance, calling upon the power of his spirit, Reticulum. Once the power now coursed through her body, Lucy wasted no moment to dash forward.

 **Earth Pillars!** Lucy shouted as she manipulated pillars of rock, and aimed them toward the two men.

As the pillars of rock traveled toward the men, the commander raised his staff, and Midnight stood unmoving and unfazed by the oncoming attack. The pillars of rock of was destroyed to shambles as the commander used on of his spells, and the other half of the pillars of rock was somehow deflected, curving right past Midnight.

Lucy's face was painted in a temporary shock as she stared at the men. How did Midnight deflect her attack? She could understand the commander's, but Midnight seems to possess a special type of magic.

 _Princess!_ A voice screamed in Lucy's mind, making her wince under her hood.

 _Gah! Don't scream in my head! What is it?_ Lucy asked.

 _Midnight has a special magic that can only deflect magic-related attacks. Normal attacks are vulnerable to him. but then, when we drove him to the edge, he seemed to had activated another type of magic._

 _Another one?_

 _Yes, illusionary magic. Nightmare illusion magic to be precise. The other spirits and I were affected and were forcibly sent to back to the Realm and was paralyzed for a few moments._

Lucy sighed. _You made me nervous. You never responded, so I got scared for you. In any case, thank you for your thoughts. You may rest now. You deserved it._

 _Thank you, Princess. Good luck_. _Delphinus voiced before returning her conscious back to the celestial world._

Normal attacks are all Lucy needed to use in order to take down Midnight. Then she also needs to worry about his illusionary magic as well.

Right now, Lucy had used half of her magic reserve, and that was all from summoning and using the spirit's power. She needs to rationalize as she faces the commander and Midnight.

Lucy eyes her spirit that was still standing behind the men in silence. Reticulum seems to be awaiting for further orders, watching Lucy's every moves for any sign of orders.

 _Reticulum, attack with all your might._ Lucy telepathically ordered the spirit as she took a step forward.

Reticulum immediately nodded and dashed forward toward the men.

Lucy waited for a few seconds before lurching forward. She quickly summoned the power of Taurus and ran straight toward Midnight, putting trust in Reticulum of taking care of the commander.

At the last second, the blow from Reticulum seemed to distract both the commander and Midnight, giving Lucy a temporary advantage. The blonde quickly used her enhanced fist and went for the stomach of Midnight's, effectively sending him across the ground.

But it wasn't enough. Or moreover, it wasn't powerful enough for her to deal any real damage to Midnight.

Midnight slowly rose to his feet as he gave Lucy a cold glaze which sent a shiver down her spine.

"I must say..." The commander started as he gave one last blow to the spirit, forcing him back to the realm. "Your magic is extraordinary. You must join our side. We could use a mage of your caliber."

"I will never join the likes of you." Lucy growled at the thought of being evil. She had her celestial friends that trusted her, and her mother that trusted her with all her might. She will never betray those feelings and let them go to waste.

Lucy sighed as she realized that she was almost empty in her magic reserve, but she did have enough for one more magic.

She jumped backwards to create a safe distance between her and the man and started muttering her incantations of a powerful spell that she was taught:

 _Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens..._  
 _All the stars, far and wide..._  
 _Show me thy appearance..._  
 _With such shine._  
 _Oh Tetrabiblos..._  
 _I am the ruler of the stars..._  
 _Aspect become complete..._  
 _Open thy malevolent gate._  
 _Oh 88 Stars of the heaven..._  
 _Shine!_  
 _Urano Metria!_

With each word and phrase, more and more celestial magic gathered, and at the end, Lucy directed it straight toward the commander and Midnight with force that could destroy a mountain or two.

Lucy was panting now as she struggled to stay on her feet. As the dust cleared, only one of the men stood, and the other laid limp on the ground.

Couple seconds later, when vision became clear, Lucy eyes Midnight, who was standing, glaring at her all the while. And he looked pissed.

"My Father's prayer...I will avenge him." Midnight muttered angrily.

Lucy took her defensive stance, reading herself for Midnight's attack. Couple seconds later, nothing happened, as Midnight continued to stand rigidly and unmoving.

"You should've accepted my father's proposal." Midnight started with a smirk. "Too bad for you, because it's too late, and I'll fun torturing you."

Lucy clenched her fists, awaiting for anything that he may throw at her.

"As you can see, it's midnight. Your worst nightmare starts now." Midnight grinned evilly.

As soon as Midnight had finished his sentence, he begun to transform, transforming into a giant black beast that sent painful chills down Lucy's spine. This black beast was tens times worst than when she had faced the beast when she had saved Mirajane and her siblings.

Then she felt a painful stab in her stomach that was pierced with a force of a bull. She looked down to see a giant claw embedded in her stomach.

Lucy didn't even see it coming! She started to cough up blood as she tried to remove herself from the giant claw in her stomach.

Her last thoughts were how she failed on her mission. She failed to find all 88 keys, and perhaps join Fairy Tail.

Then it all disappeared. The horrifying figure of the black beast was gone. The giant claw that had embedded itself in Lucy's stomach was gone. No blood was lost, and Lucy was completely fine.

She stood in place, looking at her stomach, seeing no wound, and no pain was felt. She looked up to see Midnight on the ground, completely out of commission. There was also another man that was completely cloaked like her, and staffs were strapped to his back.

It didn't take Lucy long to conclude that the cloaked man had saved her. She let out a deep sighed of relief. She thought she was going to die, she needed to thank the man for saving her.

She approached the man, who still had his back to her.

"Mister." Lucy called out.

The man turned to face the blonde, but remained mute.

"..."

"..."

"Are you going to say anything? "

"..."

"No?"

"..."

"Fine, well thank you for saving me back there." Lucy puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

The man only nodded.

Lucy frowned at the lack of speech. Maybe this man was mute?

"To think that there would be someone to beat the crap of Brain's body. I must applaud you. But I must destroy you. I will destroy everything! Starting with you two!" A booming ominous voice made itself known as the man that was the commander's rose back to his feet.

But this time, his magic was more ominous and she could feel the evil intensity that she had never faced. Lucy gulped as she stared at the man that had a eviler grin than before.

Lucy readied herself as she made a move to dash forward, but was suddenly halted in her movement as an arm suddenly blocked her path.

Annoyed she turned to the man, who merely shook his head as he looked at her.

This is my fight, Mister. Either you help or you leave." Lucy spat. This wasn't the time to argue...if they are arguing, that is.

The man retreated his arm and turned to the commander for a moment, then back to Lucy. "You are at a disadvantage. I can help."

Lucy puffed her cheeks as she started at the man, knowing how right he was. She was at an disadvantage because of her shortage of magic. Reluctantly, she nodded her head as she turned to the commander.

"Is there a plan?" Lucy asked as she eyed the man who merely stood with amusement painted on his face.

The cloaked man only response was drawing his staffs and dashing forward without any other word.

"So...attack without any plans. That's a good one." Lucy said sarcastically before jumping forward into the fight, hoping to try to at least implement some damage to the commander.

The fight itself was quite the sight to watch, as Lucy was unable to join in on the fight with the cloaked man. The cloaked man was able to overpower the commander and didn't take him long to eliminate him.

The cloaked man started toward Lucy as he strapped his staffs back to his back.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, wanting to know who the person that saved her.

The man did not response for a few moment before complying. "I am Mystogan."

Finally, a name to the mysterious cloaked man. Lucy smiled a little. "Thanks for saving me back their. I'm Lucy. May I ask why you decided to help?"

"I was in a middle of a job. Then I felt presence of magic, and I followed it. I saw you battling then other members. It was quite the sight I must say, but I intervened when I sensed that you were in trouble."

"I see." Lucy smiled underneath her cloak. "Thank you, I really appreciated this. Now I need to call the council so they can arrest these guys."

Mystogan nodded. "Farewell."

Lucy stood still as Mystogan disappeared in thin air.

* * *

After calling the council to come and arrest the members of Oracion Seis, it had still left a sour taste in her mouth. She wasn't able to defeat all of them on her own. Someone else had to come and save her. But next time, she'll make sure it doesn't happen again.

She needed to become stronger.

 **A/N: This took me so long to rewrite! Hope this is better!**

 **Please comment and review on your thoughts of this chapter! I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **** **This** **is a major rewrite** I took the liberty of extending the hostile fight between Lucy and Erza .o. And added more details in this chapter.**

 **Please enjoy?**

Having hitting the age of 17, things had been more frustrating and difficult. Her mission of finding all of 88 celestial keys are nearly its completion, as she now has 82 keys. 9 golden keys and 72 silver keys. All she needed was six more keys to be able to move on to the next stage of her mission.

All of her missions that the council had offered her had been completed, and after collecting all of the keys from them, she refused to do anymore missions. She don't have the time to be doing missions that does not involve celestial magic or anything the has to do with the prophecy.

For seven years, the time that Lucy had begun her mission, the time that she had never been laid to rest, even temporary, she begins to question everything. Everything that has to do with the prophecy, the keys, Zeref, dark magic, and her purpose. Why her, and not somebody else?

Lucy asked herself that many times when the sun does down. She herself is not all that impressive. She may be strong and smart, but she had met people with better qualities that may had been the right people to be the Great Prophecy. Strong, smart, quick reflexes, confidence, determinations...Lucy questions her own qualities that she has.

Or maybe she is just over-thinking. To be quite honest, Lucy is distraught, physically distraught. She wanted at least a day to where she can just relax and enjoy the feeling of the sun kissing her skin.

"Hopefully the spirits won't kill me." Lucy decided to take the risk, deciding to take at least one day of rest. She don't particularly minded if they were mad at her, but she didn't want to be killed. "I'm sure they would understand." Lucy reassured, mumbling to herself.

Following her intended rebellion for one day, to which she swore that she would get back to work the next day, Lucy arrived at a city that she had frequented lately. She discovered that the forest surrounding Onibus was a great spot to relax and a good place for a quick get-away. She hoped that it would also be a get-away from her spirits...hopefully.

She walked through a path, decorated with beautiful trees on both sides. With a smile, hidden behind her cloak, Lucy walked forward with a relaxed posture as she looked at the scenery of leaves falling with the wind.

Then she felt a sudden spike of magic, forcing herself to halt her movements. In addition to the sudden appearance of magic power, she could also feel a intent of malicious feelings that seemed to be directed toward to her. Lucy couldn't tell it if it was directed to her directly or not.

In the corner of her eye, she saw a glimpse of something shinny heading straight to her. With quick reflex, Lucy jumped backwards. Just in time, a sword flew straight past the cloaked girl and watched it as it embedded itself in a tree.

Lucy turned her head to where the sword had come from to find its owner. She wasn't particularly happy to be interrupted like this. So with a scowl as she turned her head, she spots a young girl that sprouted long scarlet hair.

What was intriguing to her was that the redhead was wearing armor, which was quite...different. Nonetheless, Lucy was still not happy.

The redhead smirked as she stared at the hooded figure before her. "Heh, took me awhile to find you."

Lucy frowned at this. Another attempt on taking her down from job requests? Lucy mourned for a second before staring at the chocolate eyes of the redhead. "What is it?'

"I'm going to arrest you for your crimes. And return the keys that you had stolen." The redhead summoned a sword as she took a fighting stance.

Lucy sighed as she gritted her teeth. Stealing keys? She would do no such thing! If anything, she won them fair and square. She needed to make extra efforts next time to make sure that the owners that she would fight will not fight dirty by hiring other mages.

"Before we all jump to an conclusion, do you even know who I am?" Lucy hated using this tactic, hated using the name that she hadn't even made herself. But it was useful for situations like this.

"I don't concern myself with things like that. But all I know about you is that you steal keys."

Lucy facepalmed. How could she get out of this mess? If this girl doesn't know who she is, then she has no fight but to fight the redhead. The person that hired her must've knew that she didn't know anything about her.

"W-Well...before we fight, I think it would be better if we tell each other our names. Seems like common sense, right?" Lucy nervously smiled, trying to stall and think of a quick escape.

The redhead frowned for moment before speaking. "Erza Scarlet."

"Ah..."

"It would common courtesy if you told me your name."

"Eh? Ah, Lucy...Lucy Heartfilia."

Erza then smirked as she raised her sword. "Well then, there is no escape for you."

Before Lucy could even retort with something else to stall, Erza started to equip into a different armor. "Requip! Heavenly Wheel!" Erza shouted as she ran forward, her attire changing into a different, yet beautiful armor. Numerous swords started to appear behind the mage, all of the pointing at Lucy.

"I'm sure that we can think of a solution rather than fighting." Lucy mumbled nervously, never seeing so many swords in one place, much less seeing them floating.

"Dance my swords!" Erza shouted, ignoring Lucy's pleading, sending the swords straight toward the cloaked girl.

Lucy gritted her teeth as she had no choice but to fight the redhead. With much reluctance of fighting Erza, she called upon the power of Carina. As soon as she could feel the power surging through her body, she hardened her skin to iron, a perfect protection for the swords that was aimed toward her.

She begun to deflect the swords with each flick of her arms. 5, 10,15, then 20 swords had been deflected within seconds.

After deflecting the last sword, she was immediately flanked by the redhead. Erza raised her sword and quickly brought it down upon the cloaked girl, intent on slashing her to bits.

Lucy used her enhanced arms to stop the momentum of the sword and harshly moved it to the side, causing Erza's grip on the sword to loosen. The sword then was released and flew out of reach.

Before Lucy could do or say anything else to stop the fight, Erza summoned another set of sword and lunged forward. She aimed the sword toward Lucy's stomach as she flanked her side.

Not having enough time to dodge the sword, Lucy gathered the power of Carina and hardened her hands and quickly grabbed the sword with her hand, grasping it tightly. With her free hand, Lucy immediately brought her fist toward Erza's stomach as hard as she could, effectively sending her across the ground.

Erza's grip on her sword was released as she was sent backwards with a loud thud against the hard ground. Lucy grasped the sword in her hand, observing the sword before throwing it to the side.

She turned back to see Erza getting up to her feet, glaring at the cloaked girl all the while.

"Erza, it would be wise if we do not fight." Lucy pleaded, already having enough of this, especially on her 'free' time.

"It would be a disgrace for my guild to back out on a job that we applied for. Fairy Tail will never give up." Erza declared as she pointed her sword at Lucy.

Lucy quietly gasped at the new revelation that Erza had revealed. Why was she running into so many Fairy Tail mages? First Mira and her siblings. Then Mystogan after searching him up, and then Erza? Guess fate really wants Lucy to meet Fairy Tail.

"Cat got your tongue?" Erza taunted with a smirk when Lucy had yet to move an inch, or mumble a single word.

Lucy gritted her teeth as she took a step backwards, not entirely intent of hurting a Fairy Tail member, especially if she was going to join. The last thing she needed was an enemy in Fairy Tail. She needed to sort things out, and quick.

"I won't let you escape!" Erza yelled as she begun to run forward, noticing the retreat of the cloaked girl. "Requip! Black Wing Armor!"

Lucy clenched her hands as Erza begun to glow a bright golden light. Soon, Erza stood with a new set of armor, with a sword that was blacker than her armor. "W-We don't have to fight."

"The job requested me to knock you out and return you to my client!" Erza yelled as she dashed forward, raising her sword and bringing down, aiming toward Lucy's face.

Lucy brought both of her hand outward to stop the sword from going anywhere past her hands. The impact of the sword and her hands was enough to make the blonde wince, as the sword was sharp enough to cut through her enhanced skin.

Feeling blood seeping through her newly made injury, Lucy made haste by lurching the sword to the side and raise a kick to the side of the girl in front of her.

The impact wasn't strong, as Lucy held back on her power, but Erza jumped backward from the kick to avoid any other damage, concluding that the cloak girl was strong. But she had been wondering why Lucy wasn't fighting at her full strength.

Lucy glared at Erza for a moment before glancing at the cut in her hands. The gash was quite big, and blood was still spilling out.

"Never had an injury before?" Erza frowned, raising her sword again.

Lucy clenched her hands, ignoring that pain that screamed at her at the motion of the clench, and glared at Erza, not answering her question.

"Whether that is relevant or not, I do wish that we could stop fighting."

Erza frowned. "Why are you trying to escape? I won't let you escape."

"I realize that. But don't you think that talking is better than fighting?"

"I would agree, however, my job specially had me to take you down with force and send you to my client. So I can't do what you want."

Lucy sighed. "Then, we don't have to fight. I have somewhere else that I need to be, and I do not wish to be spending a beautiful day like this, fighting a pointless battle."

Erza gave Lucy a cold glare before lurching forward, her sword raised.

How dense is Erza?! Lucy mourned before she jumped to the side as the sword was inches from her chest. Immediately, Lucy grabbed Erza's armor and her sword and threw her over her shoulder with the least power that she could muster.

While Erza was recuperating from the throw, Lucy made a mad dash in the opposite direction. If anything, she could use her void to escape. However that's a direct gate-way to the celestial spirit, and there would be a chance that they would be yelling at her for her actions and the like. Especially Aquarius and Capricorn. A slight chill traveled down Lucy's spine as she imagined what they would do to her as punishment.

Her only chance was to outrun Erza by bypassing the trees that can serve as an obstacle for the redhead.

While running through the trees and branches, Lucy then sensed another magical wavelength. And she recognized it as one of the celestial spirits. She would go after the spirit, but first she needed to shake her pursuer off her trail.

She cursed under her breath as soon as she realized that she wasn't losing Erza. In fact, she was gaining in on her. Lucy figured she was using a different type of armor. She needed to take care of Erza, then the spirit. Or the other way around. But she wondered if Erza would be patient enough to wait while Lucy deal with the celestial spirit. But that's the problem, the celestial spirit was heading her way at a fast pace, and she wondered if the spirit would be friendly or not.

"You're not getting away!" A loud cry made itself know as Erza, now sprouting a new set of armor, jumped in Lucy's path and lurched toward her, her swords raised.

Lucy realized too late that the celestial spirit that she sensed was right next to Erza, and before she could even react or yell at her for the impending attack of a celestial spirit that was about to land an attack on her, Lucy stood with wide eyes as the celestial spirit that she sensed earlier brought a hard punch to Erza's stomach, violently sending her across the clearing with a loud thud and crash.

Lucy couldn't really see the body but she can also sense the spirit. The body of the spirit before her was transparent and the size of a Vulcan.

Apus, The Lord of the Paradise. The untouchable paradise, a Fallen spirit.

"Apus." Lucy murmured as she stared at the spirit.

"Princess...Never thought I would be able to get a chance to crush you." Apus growled as he turned to face Lucy, staring with cold eyes.

Lucy stepped backward. "Why are you angry?"

"Do you even know how it feels? To be misused and misguided? I had waited for a long time to meet a great owner. I waited a long time to be a spirit of a wonderful owner. I had waited for a time when I could be useful. But no. Nobody came! I was left alone. I was left, abandoned. Forgotten." Apus ranted, more and more anger radiated from the spirit.

Lucy remained quiet, hearing the sorrow of the spirit before her.

"And then you came. Princess. The Great Prophecy. The one that can change the world. That can make a difference. I was excited. And I waited for you. But you never came. You never found me."

"Apus..." Lucy starred, but was interrupted by the spirit.

"And here you are. I was right next to you! And you never saw me! Never sensed me!" Apus roared, lunging straight toward Lucy with such rage that Lucy would comprehend.

"Don't get me wrong, Apus! I was in another situation. I have sensed you! I needed to be a clear zone before I retrieve you!" Lucy cried as she stepped backward to create a safe distance between her and the spirit.

"LIES!" Apus yelled with more hatred, lunging toward, aiming his fist toward Lucy with much force as he could muster.

Lucy attempted to block the punch by using the power of Carina by enhancing her arms. However, Apus's fist flew straight through Lucy's body like a ghost.

Lucy was distracted from the shock of the revelation of a fist passing through her body. Her distraction caused the blonde to fail the registry of a solid punch aiming to her stomach. The impact of the punch to her stomach had sent Lucy across the forest, hitting and breaking trees upon her impact.

Lucy laid on her back, still recovering from her slight shock. She sat up, wincing from the pain on her side and watched as the spirit approached her with anger and hatred. Lucy needed to do something to stop this.

She struggled to get on her feet and leaned on a nearby tree. "Apus. I need you to understand. I never intended to exclude you."

Apus narrowed her eyes as he neared the blonde. "Is that so?"

"Apus. Join me. I can be your owner, and you will be useful. Please...there is no reason to fight like this."

Apus stopped and stared at Lucy with a slight frown.

Lucy extended her arm toward the spirit. "You have a choice. Remain owner-less, or become my friend and help me in the fight of the upcoming war."

Apus struggled and trembled, conflicted with rage and uncertainty.

"I never forgotten about you. And you had never been abandoned. Because I am here now." Lucy continued, her arm still extended.

Apus was tempted now, and unconsciously extended its arm, clasping onto Lucy's gentle hand.

Lucy smiled under her hood. "You are not alone."

Apus gave Lucy one last look before giving her a slight smile. His body now shimmering in a bright golden color and disappeared back to the celestial realm, his key now resting in Lucy's hand. She gave the key a quick look before adding it to her collection of keys into the void.

Lucy took a deep breath when the danger was now gone. All she needed was five more keys for her mission. She took in silence to take in the silence of nature, enjoying the feeling of air against her skin, and the sudden calm after resolving a little feud with a spirit.

"What was that about?" A familiar voice made itself known that came from behind.

Lucy turned around to see Erza leaning against a tree, clutching onto her bleeding side. She stared at the redhead, sensing if she had anymore malicious intents on going after her.

Feeling nothing from the redhead, Lucy responded back. "It's a story that is complicated."

"Complicated? Care to elaborate?" Erza frowned a little, wincing a little from her injury.

"I'm afraid that I cannot do that." Lucy eyed the injury of the redhead for a moment. "Let me heal that wound for you."

"You know healing magic?" Erza voiced with a slightly surprised tone.

"Yes. Just don't attack me." Lucy cautiously made her way toward Erza, eyeing her every moment.

Erza only hummed as Lucy neared her.

Trusting the redhead, Lucy stopped next to her and hovered her hands over the bleeding injury. Gathering the power of the celestial magic inside of her, she directed it to heal the wound of the armored girl.

"I find it odd." Erza murmured, watching as Lucy was healing her wound.

Lucy turned her head to face the redhead with a curious gesture.

"My client informed me that you were a criminal and is a bad person. Now I'm started to have doubt about his words."

"My best guess is that I had probably fought against him for his keys."

"You stole it from him?"

Lucy sighed. "I'm not a thief. I won his key fair and square."

Erza frowned. "I see."

Lucy then retreated her hands, now finished tending to Erza's wound. "You should be fine now."

"Thanks...Who are you, Lucy?"

"The only thing that you need to know about me is that I don't do bad things. Keep that in mind the next time you see me. I don't wish to fight Fairy Tail and its members."

"Why is that? I noticed how you've been holding back." Erza said, previously finding it an insult for Lucy not fighting her with her full power. But now, she was unsure.

"I don't particularly like fights, unless it's for my mission. And Fairy Tail is the one guild that I don't want to be making an enemy of."

"Why is that?" Erza raised an eyebrow.

"I'm planning on stopping by."

Erza frowned again, thinking how much that was vague. Though she wanted to know more, she knew better than trying to force information from Lucy.

"I see." Erza looked to see her wound again, only to see an unscathed skin. She looked back with amusement, thinking how her healing magic was on par with one her friends back at the guild. "I must go back and talk to my client about this. Sorry if I had intrude on your time. Please forgive me.

"It's alright, Erza. Don't worry about it." Lucy smiled underneath her hood.

Erza was about to say something else, but Lucy had already disappeared through her void.

...

After the whole misunderstanding between her and Erza, Lucy teleported herself in the town of Magnolia. The town where the famous guild resided. She had planned on joining Fairy Tail once she had collected all 88 keys. But as things at now, it is impossible. The keys are proving quite difficult for her to locate them. So what's the harm of joining Fairy tail now?

The guild itself was couple blocks away and Lucy took her time by observing the town and its occupants. She was also trying to think of a correct reasoning on why she want to join.

"At last, we meet." A child-like voice snapped Lucy out of her debate as she stopped in her tracks.

Lucy turned around to see a small girl that sprouted long dirty blonde hair that extended to her ankles. She remained quite as she observed the girl before her with curiosity. "Who are you?"

The girl smiled. "If you can see me, then the time had finally come."

Lucy blinked. Did she misheard the girl? For a second there, she swore that she was talking to a ghost...

"The Princess of the Celestial Realm, Lucy Heartfilia. Your mother told me so much about you."

Lucy stood with wide eyes as she stared at the girl with shock. She never expected to hear the revelation of who she was, or anything about her mother. Just who is this girl?

 **A/N: **Hope you like this version!** If the fight between Lucy and Erza was satisfactory, then let me know ^^ I would love to hear your thoughts!**

 **P.S. I suck ass on fighting scenes~ Please let me know if I had messed up on some aspect of the fight between Lucy and Erza, or Lucy and Apus**

 **Review, comment, I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is a rewrite! I added and deleted necessary things.**

 **Please enjoy?**

Lucy sat on a bench with crossed arms as she stared at a girl before her. A girl that claimed to be acquaintances with Lucy's mother, who had died more than 100 years ago. Many uncertainties and oppositions surfaced as Lucy continued to stare at the little blonde girl.

"Ok, so let me get this straight. You are the First Master of Fairy Tail. Your real body is trapped in some kind of crystal. You and my mother were the founders of Fairy Tail, and you had created this cloak which allowed me to see you. Anything else I'm missing?"

"Yep!" The First Master chirped.

Lucy sighed. "If you knew my mother, then you should already know of the prophecy."

"Yes. The prophecy..." The first master turned to face the hooded girl. "The time is coming very soon. But we don't know when."

Lucy nodded. "I know."

"When are you going to join the guild? Your mother had told me that it was within your best interest to join the guild."

Lucy chuckled a little. "I was about to join until you decided to interrupt me."

"I see. Will you tell them the prophecy?" The first master asked.

Lucy frowned. "I was told to only reveal them to the trustworthy. To someone I can trust."

The first master smiled. "Fairy Tail is the guild you can trust."

Lucy turned to look at the girl in the eyes. "I'll be the judge of that."

"Alright. I recommend you to speak to the current master privately. I'll be there later."

Lucy stood up and faced where the guild sits. She looked over her shoulder, "I'll be going now. See you soon." Lucy flashed a smile before walking forward toward the guild.

"I would also recommend you to ditch that cloak as well." The first master called out

Lucy stopped and turned to the ghost with a questioningly look. "Why?"

The girl only smiled. "It will be in your best interest to do so." Then the girl vanished, leaving the blonde by herself.

Lucy frowned at the sudden disappearance of the ghost and questioned her word. After a minute of debating and complementing the lists of pros and cons, she decided to put her cloak into the void for the time being. With that out the way, Lucy continued her walk to the guild.

As she neared the guild of Fairy Tail, she observed the details of every beam of pillars and planks. Noting the worn out aspects of its walls and windows. The guild must've been through some quite troublesome situations. Lucy mused seeing couple of scratches on the door at the entrance.

Perhaps Lucy will have fun and enjoy her time here? Hopefully...

Taking a deep breath of confidence, Lucy extended her arm out and pushed the door open. Lucy was excepting a quite atmosphere, a calm place where people gather. Instead, she was met with the intensity of brawls and fights that included at least a dozen of the members in the guild. It even involved magic and the throwing of countless furnitures across the room.

Lucy stood at the entrance for a moment with a sweat rolling down her forehead. She really wasn't expecting this. Why was this happening? Is this normal? Will anyone stop them? Lucy sighed as she begun to walk deeper into the guild, hoping to find someone that she recognizes, like Mira or Mystogan.

After a couple of moments of Lucy walking into the guild, the intense fights and brawls begun to recede as they begun to register a new presence in the guild, an unfamiliar face. Countless eyes turned to the blonde and muttered amongst each other.

"What a beauty!"

"Think she's single?"

"Will she join?"

"She looks like me type!"

"Looks like she's trying to look for someone."

"She's look like she's a dominant type, I may be wrong though."

"The hell you talking about?"

Lucy sighed as she ignored the comments from the onlookers. Maybe this was a mistake, or a wrong guild...perhaps that may the case.

"Hi! Are you looking for someone?" A voice spoke up, causing Lucy to turn her head to see a familiar mage that greeted her with a smile.

Lucy stared at the girl for a moment before blinking. "Mira?"

Mira smiled. "Yep! Now, how can I help you?"

"Um...I would like to speak to the master."

"Are you looking to join the guild?"

"Perhaps. But I need to speak to the master first."

Mira nodded and pointed to the upstairs level. "You can find him upstairs in his office."

Lucy smiled. "Thank you, Mira. Oh, and I also like your new look."

Lucy walking away from a slightly confused Mira and made her way to the second floor, to where the current master's office was.

Finding the office, Lucy knocked on the door, and opened the door when she had heard an affirmation. Closing the door behind her, Lucy spotted a tiny old man at the desk with some paper works.

"And who you may be?" The man spoke up, looking at Lucy with curious eyes.

Lucy cleared her throat and walked deeper into the room. "I was told to come here by some instructions from my mother."

"And who is your mother?"

"I was told she was one of the founders of this guild." Lucy could quite expect what would happen if she revealed that.

Silence. That was all that was heard. Makarov remained silent for a moment, which stretched into minutes. Lucy stood there with a bored look, staring at the conflicted look of the current master.

Then he spoke. "This guild was founded over 100 years ago. That is impossible."

Lucy was about to speak when there was another voice that she recognized. "Lucy is not wrong."

Lucy turned around to see the First Master standing behind her with a small smile.

"F-First master!? What are you doing here!?" Makarov stuttered as he stood on his chair.

The first master smiled and turned to Makarov. "Lucy is indeed the daughter of Layla Heartfilia."

Makarov glared at the first master before turning to Lucy. "For more than 100 years. Your mother had been dead. How are you...still here?"

"I was in a different dimension, where time is different. I was in the Celestial Realm." Lucy explained.

Makarov could say that he understood it now. "I see. Is there a reason for this?"

Lucy turned to the First Master then back at the current master. "There is a prophecy for the upcoming war. A war of destruction."

"Hmm...prophecy? What is it?" Makarov asked.

Lucy turned back to the first master again. "You never told anyone?"

The first master shook her head. "No. Your mother had only told me before she had passed away. She also told me to not tell anyone and to wait for you. She said that I should be expecting you sometime 100 years into the future after she had died."

"That's a long time." Lucy commented, thinking that the servant that she had met before starting her mission had also waited all his lifetime.

"And what is this prophecy?" Makarov spoke up, gaining the blonde's attention.

Lucy studied the old man, considering if she should trust the master or not. She turned to the first master for reassurance. A nod was all she got.

She turned back to Makarov, ready to tell him everything.

"I was born more than 400 years ago. There was a prophecy that concerned me and the future. They said I was the Great Prophecy that could change the world."

Lucy took a moment before speaking what the prophecy was:

" _Into the future, doom shall befall_  
 _It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it_  
 _The stars of 88 must combine_  
 _Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide_  
 _A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all_  
 _When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one its love the most_  
 _Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet_ "

"I came into this world 7 years ago. I spent that time, searching for all 88 Celestial keys that will guide me to victory of the upcoming war. I'm still underway of that mission."

"I see. The chosen 5...who are they?" Makarov asked.

"I asked myself that question many times. The Celestial King told me that I will know when the time is right."

"After you find all 88 keys, what happens next?" Makarov inquired.

"I need to find the missing links in the prophecy. The chosen five is what I need to search for. Other than that, I just need to become stronger and prepare for the worst." Lucy crossed her arms with a frown.

Makarov nodded in understanding. "I see." Then he turned to the First Master. "What is you role in the prophecy, Mavis? Considering the last line, it may be concerning you and Zeref, the black wizard."

Mavis shook her head. "While I do have connections with the black wizard, I do not play a part in the prophecy."

"How can you be so sure?" Lucy inquired with a frown as turned to face Mavis.

"My generation is over, and I have a different role. Your mother and I, including the Celestial King had been talking and agreeing on some aspects of the prophecy."

"Huh? You met the Celestial King?"

Mavis nodded. "You possess the power that I also possess, which was given to me by the Celestial King. Right now it's sealed. I had been given the task of watching over you and teach you how to use only when the time is right."

Lucy took a step backwards. "Okay, I'm confused now. The Celestial King gave you something? How?"

"Your mother was able to convince the Celestial King with an agreement. All I need to do is make sure that you stay on the right path."

Lucy frowned and turned to Makarov for a moment, who seemed completely clueless, and turned back to Mavis. "What power is this?"

"You'll shall know when the time is right." Mavis responded.

Lucy exhaled deeply as she stared at Mavis for the lack of answers. "I see."

Mavis smiled and turned to Makarov. "Lucy here is interested in joining!"

"Is that so? Lucy, do you wish to become a Fairy Tail mage?" Makarov turned to the blonde.

Lucy nodded. "My mother created this guild, plus I think this would be a great change of pace."

Makarov smiled. "Go and find Mira. She'll stamp you."

Lucy smiled. "Alright. Thank you."

Lucy quickly exited the room and made her way back down the stairs to where she spotted Mira. After looking around, she spots the aforementioned mage behind a bar, cleaning the table with a towel.

Lucy approached the bar with a smile. "Hello Mira." She called out, gaining the attention of the girl.

Mira looked up to observe the girl that had called out to her. She stared at the girl for a moment before frowning. "I have a feeling that we had met before. Have we?"

It took Lucy couple of seconds to realize that it had been couple of years since they last met, in addition that Mira had not once seen her face.

"I assisted you in saving you and your siblings from the giant beast couple years ago."

Mira was silence for couple of seconds before a realization hit her. "Lucy?"

Lucy grinned. "Good to see you again."

Mira dropped whatever the hell that she was doing and jumped over the bar and tackled Lucy to the ground. "Lucy! It's been so long!"

Lucy chuckled a little from the impact to the floor by a flying Mira. "It has. I almost didn't recognized you with you new looks."

Mira laughed as she got off of Lucy and extended her arm out toward Lucy. "What you had said was true. Life is...important. I didn't really...think about it at the time."

"I see." Lucy takes Mira's hand and got back to her feet. "Glad you understand it now."

Mira then clasped her hands together, "So, are you going to join the guild?"

"Yep. Makarov told me that you could stamp me."

It only took Mira half of a second to retrieve the stamper, and grinned widely as she stared at Lucy. "What color and where?"

"I would like it to be pink, on the back of my right hand." Lucy gestured to her right hand.

Mira easily complied and applied the emblem on her right hand. After that was done, Mira threw the stamper her shoulders as she could care less to what happens to it and squeals in front of Lucy as she started to rant.

"Now that you are part of the guild, we can do so much stuff together! We can go shopping. We can have sleepovers. We can cook together. We can drink together. We can -"

Lucy had to put her hand over Mira's mouth to shut her up. "Mira. Let's take it one step at a time. Plus I really don't have time to do those things." She apologetically smiled.

Lucy removed her hands from Mira's mouth once she know that Mira had calmed down. Mira looked disappointed and sad. Tears could be seen.

"B-But...I was looking forward to this for a long time." Mira cried and sniffed.

Lucy blinked, unsure why Mira was making a bid deal of this. "U-Umm..."

"Why won't anyone want to do those things with me?" Mira continued to cry, covering her face while sniffing.

Lucy was beginning to become guilty for making Mira cry like this. "I would do it, if I didn't have my mission."

Mira stopped crying and stared at Lucy confusingly. "Mission?"

"Call it personal mission. Maybe next time, Mira. I would love to do those things with you." Lucy smiled, hoping that this wouldn't make Mira too upset over this.

Mira frowned for a moment before smiling back. "Then at least order a drink. It's on the house!" Mira started to tug Lucy to the bar, eager to repay her.

Lucy smiled at Mira's action before turning to the menu that was plastered on the wall for a moment before turning to Mira who was holding a paper and a pen, looking at her with wide and attentive eyes.

"I'll take a strawberry milkshake." Lucy smiled.

Mira nodded feverishly and immediately went to prepare her drink with a smile.

Lucy sat on the stool near her and waiting for her drink. Couple minutes later, she sensed two people approaching her. She looked over her shoulder to see two boys heading her way. One had pink hair, and the other was naked, thankfully with his boxers still on.

The pink haired boy and the naked boy was glaring at each other while they were approaching her.

Then the naked boy turned to Lucy, as if he wanted to say something to her. "Oi!"

Then the pink haired boy punched the naked boy in the face. "I said that I was going to say it!"

"You never said that!" The naked boy shouted back, punching the pink haired boy in the face as well.

Lucy stood in her stool, watching as the fight between pink haired boy and the naked boy escalated into a much bigger brawl, to which more people joined in.

"She's back!" A voice yelled as the door suddenly opened with a loud thud. A man with a green jacket and a glasses stood at the entrance, looking quite terrified.

The guild immediately went quiet, murmured of fear and anxiety filled the room. Some of them quickly cleaned up some of their messes and left the guild in a hurry, which left Lucy to be ocnfused

"Here!"

Lucy turned around to see a strawberry milkshake in front of her, and Mira standing next to her with a smile. "Mira...who are they talking about?" Lucy asked as she grabbed the milkshake from Mira.

"Hmm?" Mira hummed before turning to what Lucy was gesturing before back to Lucy with a smile. "Erza's must be coming back!"

"Erza?"

Before Lucy could ask Mira any other questions, Mira already walked off to start ordering from the other customer.

With a sigh, Lucy started to drink her milkshake, already loving the taste of the flavor that the milkshake provided.

Couple minutes later, while the members were still struggling to get everything back tin place and act like nothing happen, there was a large crash at the entrance of the guild. Lucy looked over her head to see a familiar mage.

"I'm back. Where's the Master?" Erza demanded, not bothering to say hi. Nor does the members bother to greet her, as they tremble from her.

"Welcome back. Master is in his office." Mira approached Erza with a smile.

Erza gave Mira a quick thanks before making her way to Makarov's office.

Lucy sat in her seat as she watched Erza walk away. Something about her reminded her of something, something important.

A girl that wears armors...

"Wat'cha doing?" A voice whispered in Lucy's ear, making the latter jump in surprise.

Lucy quickly covered her ears as she turned around to see Mira with a smirk. "Why did you do that?"

Mira waved it off and grinned at Lucy. "Never mind that, it seems like you have lots on your mind."

Lucy sighed, uncovering her ears. "It just that Erza reminds me of something. Maybe it's her hair...or her armor...? I can't really figure it out. What magic does she use specifically?"

"Is it love?" Mira asked with hearts in her eyes.

"Huh?" Lucy stared at Mira with a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

Mira didn't say anything at first, she just stared at Lucy for a moment. "As for what magic she uses, it's called the Knight."

"The Knight?" Lucy narrowed her eyes as she stroke her chin. "Hmm...that would make sense." She muttered to herself.

Mira then squealed, causing Lucy to cover her ears and back away from Mira.

"I have to write this down! You two would be so cute together!"

"Huh?" Lucy was flabbergasted on what Mira was talking about.

"The ship shall sail! It shall happen!" Mira cried as she ran into the kitchen.

Lucy sat rigid, still covering her ears from the sudden outburst of the barmaid. She was wondering what Mira was talking about, or what she mean by the ship setting sail. It didn't make sense to her at all.

 **A/N: Hope you like the revised version! Let me know if there is some error or grammar in this chapter!**

 **Review and comment! I don't bite!**

 **Toodles!~**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N** : * **R** **ewrite* Major changes concerning the identity of Lucy, and made changed some details here and there.**

 _ **PROPHECY:**_  
 _ **"Into the future, doom shall befall**_  
 _ **It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it**_  
 _ **The stars of 88 must combine**_  
 _ **Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide**_  
 _ **A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all**_  
 _ **When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one its love the most**_  
 _ **Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet"**_

 **Please enjoy**?

Makarov stood in his office, overlooking his papers that concerned the guild, and assimilating apologies for the council for the unintended damaged caused by the members of Fairy Tail. Mostly by a certain dragon slayer that holds no amount of regret or apologies for the damage that he had done.

But Lucy's presence and her mission invaded his mind on too many occasion to properly do his work.

"Porlyusica...looks like you were right." Makarov mumbled, holding a pen to a paper halfheartedly. "The prophecy is coming true. With the arrival of three dragon slayers and a celestial wizard from the past, there is no doubt that things will become more...hectic."

He closed his eyes, thinking back on the memory when Porlyusica had warned him about the upcoming danger:

**** _Flashback_ ****

 _Makarov just became the master of Fairy Tail and Porlyusica demanded to speak to him alone for private and important matters._

 _"Makarov. As a master of Fairy Tail, there is something that you need to know." Porlyusica started as she glared at the tiny old man._

 _Makarov perked up and listened to the old man. "Hmm? What is it?"_

 _Porlyusica sighed and turned to look at the never ending horizon. "I spoke to the ghost of the First."_

 _"Mavis?"_

"Yes. She told me something. Something about a prophecy. She would not tell me what is was, as I am not the right person to know them."

 _"Prophecy? About what?"_

 _Porlyusica shook her head. "I do not know. But from the tone of her voice, it's important and is viable for me to tell to the next master of Fairy Tail to wait."_

 _"Wait for what?"_

 _"Everything will be unraveled when three dragon slayers come together as a mage of Fairy Tail. Not soon after that, a celestial wizard from the past will join for mission purposes, as well for personal reasons."_

 _Makarov stared at the pink old lady for a second before speaking. "And First Master Mavis spoke to you?"_

 _Porlyusica sighed as she nodded. "Yes. I do not know why she came to me."_

 _"Did Purehito knows about this?" Makarov asked._

 _"I would assume so." Porlyusica answered, and not a second later, she exploded. "Bah! Stupid ghost and humans! Why am I stuck in doing this?!" The old woman turned to the tiny old man with a scowl. "I'll be leaving. I had already done my job. I'm leaving this nasty smelling place!"_

 _Makarov remained unvocal and silent as Porlyusica left and disappeared from sight, retreating to her isolation in the woods._

**** _End of Flashback_ ****

At first, Makarov didn't really want to believe that Lucy came from the past. He wanted to believe that three dragon slayers coming together was all a coincidence, not destiny.

Makarov hated prophecies and the mysteries that surrounded it. Sometimes it meant that somebody could die, that doom will be imminent and inevitable and nothing could stop it.

Makarov also noted how much trust the First had put in Lucy for being here, for her mission, and for personal reasons.

Makarov stood up and went to look through his window that overlooked his guild and spotted Lucy talking with a smile, conversing with other members. Natsu and Gray came up to her, started to talk to her with curious smiles, not too soon after that, Natsu and Gray started to fight each other.

Makarov smiled silently to himself. He hoped that whatever the prophecy had foretold, it won't be for a while, hopefully.

* * *

Lucy sat at the bar with Mira, enjoying having talks with her and catching up.

"Lucy. My siblings are itching to meet you. I had been telling them about you. I'm sure they would be happy to see you!" Mira squealed, handing her a milkshake.

Lucy laughed as she took the drink. "I would like to see them. Where are they?"

"On a mission. They'll be back in a few weeks."

"I see." Lucy smiled.

"Oi!"

Lucy and Mira turned to see two boys heading their way with a grin.

"Hi! I'm Natsu! You look strong. Fight me!" The pink-haired boy exclaimed, pumping his fists together with a wide grin.

"Oi! Flame breath! That's not why we're here! That can wait till later!" The raven haired boy, who was bare-chested, glared at Natsu.

"What you say, ice princess!?" Natsu glared back.

Lucy sat in her stool as she watched Natsu and the naked man retorted to a physical fight. She turned to Mira with a questioningly look. "Does this happen all the time?"

Mira smiled and nodded. "This is perfectly normal."

"I...see." Lucy frowned before turning back to the fighting mages who had started to fight physically and begun to get into their stance of using their magic.

With a sigh, Lucy stood up and approached them. She stood in between them and gave them a look that caused them to falter in their attempt to fight any further. Thankfully, for Lucy, they paused and gave a Lucy a look that she had their undivided attention..

"So. You wanted something from me?" Lucy smiled innocently.

Natsu and the naked man blinked, looking at each other before turning back to Lucy with a grin.

"Join our team!" They yelled in unison.

"Huh?" Lucy coked her head to the side.

"We could use another mage in our team. Another girl that isn't scary." Natsu shivered at the last sentence. Gray shivered as well.

"...Another? Who is this other girl?" Lucy asked.

They were about to answer her until there was another registration of voice that Lucy recognized.

"That would be me."

Lucy turned around to see Erza standing behind her with a smile. Lucy swore that she saw Erza faltering for a moment before returning to her stoic posture.

"You must be Lucy, our new guild member. Nice to meet you. I'm Erza." Erza introduced herself, extending her had to Lucy.

Lucy smiled and shook Erza's hand. "Thank you, Erza. Though we had already met."

"Really? Where?"

Lucy nervously chuckled. "Well...To put it simply, you did tried to kill me for a job on your last mission."

Erza blinked and retracted her hand slowly. "You were that hooded woman?"

"Yep." Lucy nervously smiled.

"I see." Erza frowned for a second before suddenly bowing in front of her. "I'm sorry. Please hit me!"

Lucy blinked from the sudden action. "I'm sorry?"

"I tried to kill you. And you are now a member. So please forgive me for the past actions."

"I thought I already forgave you. You're fine, nothing personal." Lucy smiled.

Erza straightened herself and smiled back at Lucy. "I see. I appreciate that."

"So, Natsu and the other boy is on your team?" Lucy gestured to the boys behind her, who were just arguing with each other.

"Natsu and Gray are on my team, yes. I do not understand why they say I am scary." Erza frowned, crossing her arms.

Lucy laughed. "Anyway, they wanted me on their team. So, I can assume you are the leader?"

Erza nodded. "Yes. I think it would be an honor to have you on our team."

Natsu came as if on cue in and wrapped his arm around Lucy's neck with a big grin. "Awesome!" Natsu turned to face Lucy, "Let's have a fight. I want to know how strong you are."

"Huh?"

"Lucy's stronger than you. Forget it Natsu." Erza cut in with a straight face as she crossed her arms.

Natsu turned to Erza with a frowned, wondering why she would give him the revelation that he was weaker than Lucy. "But Lucy should decide!" He turned back to Lucy with a grin. "Come one. Let's do it!"

"I rather not. My magic isn't for fighting my friends." Lucy smiled apologetically.

Natsu frowned as he retracted his arm from around Lucy's neck. "Fine. Then let's do a job!"

"Later, Natsu. I just came back." Erza said, walking away to the bar and took a seat, not leaving any room for objections or whining.

Natsu sulked for a moment before going back the man he was fighting with earlier. Gray, as Lucy recalled. It didn't take long for them to be engaged in a physical fight, and other members had joined in as well, creating a bigger brawl.

Lucy went and sat at one of the tables and watched the scenery before her. It wasn't the environment that she was used to, but she already enjoyed it. It felt like she had been a part of the guild for a long time.

 _Mother really had created a great guild_. Lucy mused as one of the members had mamaged wedged himself in a wall. This guild, as Lucy, observed, was very careless and free. Definitely a fun guild to be at.

All of the happy thoughts that roamed through her mind was soon invaded by the possibility that this will all end, and despair might soon by all that's left.

Lucy wanted to prevent that. The world is a beautiful place to be ruined by a darkness that should not exist, or be interfering in any way with the way of life.

It had been couple of weeks since Lucy had went and joined Fairy Tail. Her new team seemed extremely...reckless and dangerous, even with Erza around. But Lucy enjoyed it nonetheless.

It had been couple of weeks, and Lucy was becoming restless. She had this feeling of uncertainty that something was going to happen. She used her magical senses to sense if there was any spirits nearby, but there was nothing.

* * *

Lucy sat at the bar with her team, and talking to Mira about the everyday life. As concerned she still was about her intuition that something bad might happen, she kept smiling and focused on the conservation with the barmaid.

Then the guild's door opened with a loud thud, gaining the attention of the entire guild. Lucy turned around to find a man with an attire that belonged to the council

The man was looking around as if he was looking for someone. It didn't take long for Erza to be annoyed and approached the man

"May I ask what your business is?" Erza asked with a frown.

The man turned to Erza with a blank look. "I'm looking for Gamma Ibis."

Lucy quietly gasped as she turned to fully face the scene. She remembers that specially told the council that they shouldn't contact her anymore, unless it has to do with anything concerning celestial magic, the keys, anything related to Zeref and dark magic.

There were murmurs of confusion and uncertainty throughout the guild. They didn't know who Gamma Ibis was, as Lucy never found it necessary to really reveal the revelation of who Gamma Ibis really was. because it really wasn't that important.

"Why would Gamma Ibis be in this guild!?" One of the members shouted from a distance.

"Are we in trouble?" Another member shouted with worry.

The man ignored the murmurs of the members and handed Erza an envelope. "Give this to Master Makarov. Tell him to give this to Gamma Ibis, It is important."

Erza takes the envelope and observed it, which was neatly folded and 'Gamma Ibis' was written neatly on the front. She looked back up at the man questioningly, only to see that the man had disappeared.

"What is all this ruckus!?" A deep grumpy voice echoed into the silence of the guild.

The mages turned around to see Makarov standing on a table with a stern, yet questioningly look.

Erza walked up to Master and handed him the piece of paper. "A man from the council had told me to give this to you, and give it to Gamma Ibis."

"Gamma Ibis? Why would he be here?" Makarov muttered, looking at the piece of paper.

"I'm pretty sure it's a woman." One of the members shouted off in the distance.

Makarov sighed and walked back into his office after resolving the case of silence that was unnaturally present.

Lucy sat still in her chair, waiting patiently until Makarov disappeared from sight, assumingly walking back into his office. After a few more minutes, she stood up to her feet and quickly made her way toward Makarov's office. She needed to know what was in that letter that was addressed to her as 'Gamma Ibis'.

After walking up to the door of Makarov's office, Lucy quietly knocked on the door couple of times and opened the door without waiting for Makarov to respond. After closing the door, Lucy stood in front of the tiny old man that sitting in his chair, still holding the envelope from the council.

"How can I help you, Lucy?" Makarov asked as she placed the envelope neatly on his desk, unsure of what to do with it, as he had never met Gamma Ibis, or came into contact with the masked figure.

Lucy takes couple of steps toward Makarov, eliminating the distance between her and the master, and intentionally creating a distance between her and the door to insure that their wouldn't be any leaks of what she would about to reveal.

"I believe that letter is for me."

Makarov narrowed his eyes at the blonde, and glazed at the letter that rest on his desk for a few seconds before turning back to Lucy. "So, you're Gamma Ibis? The special wizard of the council?"

Lucy sighed. "Yes. I really don't like those titles. So please don't address me as those. Just Lucy is fine."

Makarov chuckled. "I see." He picks up the letter and extending it to Lucy. "Then I believe this belongs to you."

Lucy smiled at how understanding and trusting Makarov was before taking the letter. She wanted to know what was in the letter and why the council had gone through the trouble of sending her the letter.

 _Gamma Ibis_ ,

 _I know we, the councilmen, had promised not to drag you onto any more missions. But this is important. There had been a disturbance with a group of mages, rouge mages in particular. Their origins or former guild is unknown at the time and their identity remains unknown. But their magic is extremely dangerous._

 _Originally, we had sent other mages to do the job. But they all failed. One mage in particular had reported that one of the rouge mages uses a celestial magic of some sort. This may perk your interest in taking this job to take down these mages, and perhaps find what their purposes are._

The reward for you and whoever you had decided to take with you, will be a reward of several million jewels. These mages had caused causality of several hundreds.

 _So please, on behalf of the councilmen and the future of the innocents, please stop these mages._

 _The Councilmen._

Lucy deeply sighed as she folded the piece of paper and sat in a nearby chair, resting her head on her hands.

"What did it say?" Makarov curiously asked

"Another mission." Lucy mourned.

"May I read it?"

Lucy complied and gave Makarov the piece of paper. Makarov took and read it carefully. After a few more moment, he spoke up.

"Will you do it?"

Lucy nodded. "Yes. According to that letter, there was a report of celestial magic. I need to do this."

"Does this has to do anything with the prophecy?"

"Yes."

"Will you bring anyone with you?"

Lucy chuckled. "My team will suffice. They trusted me to be on their team, even when we had only met. It will only fair if I trusted them with this mission."

Makarov smiled. "Then I assume you know what to do?"

"Yes." Lucy takes the piece of paper back from Makarov and walked out of the room, but stopped to turn back to the old man. "We'll be back."

Makarov smiled as Lucy closed the door, leaving him with only silence.

Lucy walked back down and met with her team with a smile as she approached them.

Natsu was the first to notice her and approached her with a grin. "Hey. I was wondering where you had gone. I was thinking that we should do a job."

Lucy chuckled. "I have a job for all of us. The reward is several million jewels."

Lucy's team froze with she had said 'several million'. Natsu and Happy started muttering something about plenty of food for an entire year. Gray was smirking at the amount of money. And Erza was daydreaming about the unlimited cake she could have at her disposal.

"Let's do it!" They all yelled in unison.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. "We'll leave tomorrow. You'll need your rest."

Natsu, Happy, and Gray ran out of the guild with an elated aura surrounding them as they went to their house to 'rest'. Erza stayed behind and eyed Lucy a little suspiciously.

"Yes?" Lucy asked, noting that Erza was staring at her suspiciously.

"The request board doesn't have any job that offer rewards that high. There's no way you could take the S-Class missions. What kind of job is it?"

Lucy nervously chuckled. "Well...Um..."

Sensing the hesitation from the blonde, Erza decided to drop it. "Nonetheless, we have a job with a high pay."

Lucy smiled at her understanding.

"But I will ask you next time for where the job had come from." Erza persisted with a small smile.

"In time, you'll know." Lucy grinned.

* * *

The next day, the team had embarked on their 'mysterious' mission, as Lucy wouldn't reveal too much of it. Natsu, Happy, and Gray didn't particular mind. But Erza was still suspicious and will want answers, she will fish out the answers, one way or another.

"So, we just need to find these mages, right? Where can we find them?" Natsu asked as they begun to walk toward the train station.

Lucy takes out a piece of paper to look at the last known location of the rogue mages' whereabouts. She quickly scanned it, before answering Natsu. "It's near Waas Forest."

"That far!?" Natsu whined. "No. We can walk." He started to begged, not wanting to take the train for hours.

The constant begging of the dragon slayer did not heed him well, as he was violently punched in the stomach by an annoyed redhead. Erza forced Gray carry Natsu on their way to the train station.

Couple hours later, they had now arrived at their destination, and Natsu, fortunately and unfortunately, woke up, sprouting fire, and ran out of the train to escape the metal monster.

"So where do we go?" Erza asked as she stepped out of the train with Lucy and Gray.

"We check the forest. We need find traces of those mages and put them down or arrest them if possible." Lucy explained as she walked toward to where to forest was.

Walking into the forest, the mages were on high alert and ready to pounce on anything that may be hostile. Lucy in particular was growing more restless as she walked deeper into the forest. Call it an intuition as Lucy was having a bad feeling, that something bad may happen. Hopefully she was being delusional and was thinking too much on the matter.

Couple minutes later, a sudden peak of magical energy caused Lucy to halt her movement. The sudden peak of magic was everywhere, as Lucy could tell. It was surrounding them as if it lived in the air. There could be no way for her to locate the sudden peak of magic.

When Erza noticed Lucy had stopped walking, she slowed down and turned to her with a questioningly look. "Lucy?"

Before Lucy could even respond to Erza, there was a booming voice that echoed in the silence, alerting the mages. "Looks like fairies had stumbled into our trap."

"Who's there!" Erza demanded as she started to look around, and summoned a set of swords in her hands in the process.

"Whether you know who I am does not matter. For it will not matter when the prophecy comes true. So, what is the point of following these rules?" The voice responded with a cocky attitude.

Lucy narrowed her eyes as she continued to search her surroundings. Her thoughts were plague on if the revelation of her prophecy had been leaked. And if that was the case, they how did they know?

"Prophecy?" Natsu muttered, not even interested in what the voice was talking about, alighting his fist on fire.

"What load of crap." Gray took fighting stance.

"I can feel it. The prophecy is coming. It's real, and he was right. And the Princess is here as well. I will enjoy killing you, Princess."

"Princess?" Erza muttered confusingly.

Lucy silently gulped as she looked around again. She wondered who these guys were, and what they planned on doing. These people claimed to know the revelation and the opposition of the consequences of the prophecy, and this made Lucy more anxious. Just who are these people?

 **A/N:** **Hope this is better than the original version**

 **Please comment and review! I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: A major rewrite in the story, added tons of details**

 ** _PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one its love the most  
Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet_**

 **Please enjoy _?_**

Lucy stood her ground, scanning for the source of the voice that claimed to know the prophecy. Erza and the boys was confused and conflicted as the voice revealed the admissions of the contradictory of what it had revealed. The term 'Princess', as they had revealed, were lost on the mages, unsure and filled with uncertainty by who they were addressing to. Lucy, however, knew it all too well on what the voice was talking about, and she was not happy with it.

"Show yourself!" Erza shouted as she looked around, trying to pinpoint the source.

"It's weird. The smell is everywhere. I can't pinpoint it." Natsu frowned, looking around, sniffing all the while.

"Then I can ice the whole place." Gray smirked, already getting into his fighting stance.

Lucy remained silent.

There was a moment of ominous laughter from the mysterious voice. "Only the Princess is capable of making me show myself. Can you do it, Princess?"

"Who is this Princess!?" Natsu roared, becoming impatient with every second.

"Princess. Use your full power and try and stop me." The voice demanded, ignoring Natsu's rage.

Lucy focused for a minute, trying to find any irregularities in the magic levels that surrounded her. The concentration of the magic remained the same, proving it difficult for Lucy to locate an exact direction for them to go. Not another second, she sensed a change in the magic levels, and turned her head toward the direction of the change in.

Lucy clenched her teeth as she realized the significant of the change in magic. She concluded that the voice wanted her to use her full power, in which she couldn't really risk. And Lucy didn't want to use her full power, for it would increase the risk of endangerment of her mission and her own safety.

"We'll spilt into two teams and spread out. We will try and find this mysterious person. The more ground we cover, the faster we get this done." Erza spoke up with a demanding, authoritive tone, turning to each mage for affirmations.

Natsu, Happy, and Gray all nodded feverishly, not kin on disobeying Erza's orders, for fear of a possible punishments, severe punishments. Lucy remained silent, not paying heed to what was being said as she continued to stare off into the direction that had alerted her.

"Lucy and I will form a team and head to one direction. The rest of you will go to a different direction. And if I hear anything about one of you messing up, or not doing your job, I punish you."

Natsu and Gray nodded feverishly, already running off in a random direction, Happy not being too far behind. With a soft sigh, with hopes that they wouldn't mess up, Erza turned back to face a mute blonde that seemed alert, yet staring off into the distance.

"Lucy?" Erza called out softly.

Lucy responded by looking over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of red. "Yes?"

"Did you hear what I just said?" Erza frowned a little.

"Hmm? No. What did you say?" Lucy said, almost a little too innocently.

Erza sighed. "We are slitting up. You and I will be covering one direction. The others are working together in a different direction."

Then Lucy turned fully to face Erza with a questioningly look. "Is that wise? This is Natsu and Gray we are talking about."

Erza groaned. "Yes I am aware of that. But I had taken a drastic measure to make sure that it doesn't happen. Plus, I needed to talk to you about something, so this was necessary."

"Is it important?"

"Yes." Erza nodded with a stern look.

Lucy glared at Erza with a blank look, searching for a hidden motives or resolve, before turning away with a sigh, back to the direction that she was focused on. "We can talk if we go in this direction."

Erza followed her gaze with a questioning look, wondering what's so special about this direction in particular. "Why this way?"

"Magic levels are different." Lucy responded in a 'duh' tone, like it was the most obvious thing ever, and begun walking forward, letting Erza catch up with her.

"You've been acting weird ever since this mission started." Erza voiced with concern and observation in which she wanted answer for.

Lucy remained silent for a moment, contemplating on what and how she should respond to Erza. After a minute of silence between the two mages as they walked, Lucy let out a deep sigh.

"Can you keep a secret?"

Erza nodded. "Of course."

"When the man from the council had paid the guild a visit in order to give a letter to Gamma Ibis, it was for me." Lucy explained, not taking her eyes away from the road, alert as she continued to walk forward.

Erza continued to remain silent, letting it sink in.

"The council wanted me to complete a mission. Destroy or arrest a group of rouge mages. Even the most experienced mages failed at this job. So they turned to me, asking for help."

"Gamma Ibis? Is that you?"

Lucy nodded with an slight annoyed look on her face. "I really don't know why they called me that."

"I heard the rumors...but I never knew what Gamma Ibis looked like, even under the hood. Speaking of the cloak, where is it?"

Lucy giggled a little. "I understand it now, and I was wondering why you didn't know what I looked like. As for my cloak, I put it away for the time being."

Erza smiled at the giggle that escaped Lucy's mouth. "So you work for the council? Is it fun?"

"Hmm...Not really. They try to have me fight more missions, even when I said no. They can be so persistent!" Lucy growled angrily.

Erza chuckled. "So is that why you joined Fairy Tail? To run away?"

"I don't run away." Lucy stared Erza in the eyes with a serious depth that she was not joking. "And I'll never will."

Erza smiled. "I see. How do you like Fairy Tail so far?"

Before Lucy could answer her question, the same ominous voice that sent chills down Lucy's spine interrupted them with a deep laugh. "As expected for the Princess to follow this path."

"Show yourself!" Erza demanded as she summoned a sword in her hand.

"Only the Princess can make me." The voice repeated with a deep tone.

Lucy looks around once more before narrowing her eyes as a realization hit her. Her magic senses are not working, as they cannot pinpoint the exact location of their enemy, and the only other way to locate them was by removing her ring. This mysterious person seemed to know about Lucy's potential and her abilities, so she needed to be cautious.

"Erza. Stand back." Lucy ordered as she took on a blank look with determination. Erza complied as she took couple of steps backward, questioning what Lucy was planning.

Lucy grabbed the ring that rested on her index finger and slid it out and placed it into her void for the time being. Now, she let her magic grow and grow until she can accommodate for the lack magic that she had before.

Erza stood as she slowly felt the power of the blonde before her, and it was steadily growing stronger. At one point in her realization, Erza could almost say that she was terrified in what Lucy was capable of and what her intentions were, but she was also fascinated by how Lucy controls her magic with ease and carefully, as if the magic she was dealing with was a fragile entity that she was accompanied by.

With her full powers on her sleeves, Lucy then focused again and attempted on locating the mysterious voice that reclaimed in the revelation of her prophecy. She turned her head to the direction in which she sensed them. The mysterious person resided behind a tree, and another figure stood next to him.

Now knowing the location of the mysterious person, Lucy quickly called upon the power of Antlia and Taurus. Feeling the power of speed and strength within her body, she suddenly lurched forward toward the direction of the men. Now within an appropriate distance, and before the men could react, Lucy raised her fist and swung it toward them, attempting to smash them to bits.

No such luck as the men was quick in their reactions and dodged Lucy's attack. Lucy tried again, swinging her fist with such intensity, hoping that she could at least land a hit on one of the two men.

She punched, kicked, ran, jumped, side-stepped. Lucy did and tried everything with the powers of her celestial spirits to try and take down the men in front of her. Lucy observed that one of the men, the one with the markings as a lot more quicker and difficult. But the other man was slower and a little less difficult to try and land an attack on.

"Lucy!" A feminine shout called out from the distance.

Lucy jumped away at a proper distance for safety as she turned to see Erza running toward her with haste. That was when an idea popped into Lucy's mind as she watched Erza run toward her. Lucy debated that Erza could go after the man, while Lucy goes after the man with the weird markings. Lucy has weird suspicions about the man, so she wanted to confront him herself.

"Erza! I need you to take this man out!" Lucy pointed to said person. "I'll take care of the other man with the markings."

Erza easily complied and requipped into a different armor.

Trusting that Erza can do her part, Lucy then turned to face the man of her worries, the man with the markings that troubled her. Now having enough time to observe the man before her, she noted how the man seemed to be a trance. and how she felt like she should know who this man was.

"Who are you?" Lucy called out to the man.

"Who I am does not matter. Because we...I will kill you." The man replied with a flat tone.

"I will not repeat again. Who are you?" Lucy demanded, getting in her fighting stance.

The man was silent for a moment before slightly smirking. "Your prophecy...I will destroy it."

"How do you know about the prophecy!?" Lucy shouted.

The man evilly grinned. "Easy. They told me."

"Mind telling me who's 'they'?"

The man smiled, walking toward Lucy slowly with each intimidating step. "They are someone you know...fairly well."

Lucy let out a disapproval grunt as she jumped forward toward the smirking man and alighted her fist with the power of the celestial magic that reside inside of her, a magic that is similar to Natsu's magic, but magic that revolves around the power of celestial magic.

She brought her fist toward the man, hoping for at least some kind of contact that would inflict some kind of damage. But as luck would have it, the man dodged it by catching her fist and immediately brought a strong kick to Lucy's stomach harshly, causing her to skid across the ground with a violent crash.

"I know you can do better than that, Princess." The man smirked cockily, purposely taunting the blonde.

Lucy heaved as she struggled to get back on her feet and narrowed her eyes at the man. "Who are you?"

The man was silent for a few moment before speaking. "You may had forgotten me, Princess. But I know everything about you. I know where your true strength lies. I know your weakness. And I know your secret. Your secret potential, and that hidden power that you had yet to discover. I will be taking it from you."

Lucy frowned with uncertainty and slight fear were building up inside. "Bluffing will not work."

The man cocked his head to the side in a mocking manner. "Bluffing?" The man laughed and straightened himself. "I do no such thing. Your strength is your friendship with your spirits. Your weakness is your anger. And your secret power...hmm...I will not tell you, or it will cause you to unlock it earlier than planned."

Lucy clenched her teeth, as she was confused and afraid. This man knows too much. Why is that? The only people that knows her and her full extent of her powers are the celestial spirits, and the King. And possibly Mavis, who had yet to reveal what she really knew. Lucy narrowed her eyes and eyed the man before her, racking her brain for anything that may make sense or not.

Lucy's eyes widened as an realization hit her. She was far too focused to really realize it. But just in case, Lucy activated her mystic senses and glanced at the man before her. How had Lucy not realized this? How had she not sensed them before? It wasn't leaking, but it was suspended. The markings on the man was conformed with celestial magic, and it was being harshly contained. Probably one of the reasons why she couldn't sense the celestial magic.

"You have celestial magic. Care to explain that? And what is those markings on you? Those are no ordinary markings." Lucy scrunched her eyebrows with a stern look as she glared at the man before her.

"I will not repeat myself, Princess. But I will tell you this: Celestial magic is the beginning of everything, the beginning of magic itself. It created Zeref and his demons. It created this beautiful...yet dangerous world. I am merely returning the magic to its origin... and I will destroy everything...destroy you and the celestial spirits alike. I will destroy your friends, everything you love. And I'll make sure that you will the last one standing. I want you to despair before dying." The man smirked widely as he continued to rant.

Lucy eyes widened at the revelation of the history that was revealed to be hidden and a secret to all. There were only so few that knew this, and this made Lucy questioned on the loyalty of the man, or perhaps a different entity that he should belong to.

"How long had you been here?" Lucy asked with a dark glare, hoping that her conviction was wrong.

The man then frowned slightly as he tilted his head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you a celestial spirit?" Lucy reworded her phrase impatiently, already wanting to know the truth.

The man stared at the blonde girl for a moment before smirking, a sign that Lucy's conviction had take a turn for the worst, because it was real. "Well done, Princess. Tell me, how did you know?"

Lucy gritted her teeth, hated the fact that she was always right in situations like these. "For once, you knew too much about me and celestial magic. That was one suspicion because there isn't a lot of information of them. Then there's you hatred. I had faced a lot of fallen with the same hatred as yours. But you are different, as you seemed a little be logical and sane, but you seemed to be guided in the wrong direction."

The spirit was amused. "Then, as the Princess we all know and adore, do you know who I am?"

Lucy took a moment, staring at the man before her, studying her eyes for any emotion that may be present, only to find none. Lucy knew who this spirit was, faintly sensing the celestial magic as she focused hard enough after finding out that her conviction was real. There was no way that this spirit would be misguided...or want to destroy the world.

"Lupus. The great Wolf." Lucy spoke with a frown, and with sadness present in her eyes. "Why would a spirit like you be strayed off of the path as a celestial spirit?"

Lupus stared at Lucy for a moment. "I believe we should fight now. Talking your way out of this fight will heed you no good."

Lucy frowned at this, sensing that Lupus didn't want to talk anymore, but she won't have it. Not now. "Lupus. Stop. Return to the Realm. The prophecy needs you. I need you!" Lucy yelled.

Lupus smiled with a small taint of sorrow. "I had always wanted to meet you, Princess. But it is too late. The prophecy had already begun. And I can no longer go back."

"Lupus. I am here now. We finally met. Now go back!"

Lupus smirked. "You sure have a way with words. But they will not work on me."

"Lupus. Stop this. Return back to your world!" Lucy persisted with each second passed.

"Haven't you wondered why you hadn't sensed me?"

Lucy paused, the revelation of why still clouded her mind, not entirely realizing what the cause was. "There's no way you're banned from the realm." Lucy knew this as a fact. Lupus was a strong and loyal spirit with a strong value and beliefs of the world.

Lupus smirked. "That's the problem, my little Princess. I am not banned. The problem lies...elsewhere."

"What?"

Lupus frowned a little. "I had said too much, it seems." He muttered to himself before staring at the girl in front of him.

"If I kill you now, the prophecy will disappear. And doom will be our delicious dessert." Lupus smirked, alighting his fists in a bright light of pure energy,

Lucy clenched her fists as she stared down at the spirit. "Lupus. This isn't funny. Snap out of it!"

Lupus ignored her with a slight smirk and jumped forward, bringing his fist down on the girl with much force as he could muster.

Lucy used her quick reflexes and dodged the impending punch by using the power of Antlia that still resided in her. Jumping backwards, Lucy created more distance between her and the spirit. She needed more time to think on why and how. Why this spirit followed the path of a spirt, and how the spirit remained in the celestial realm with consequences. Lucy could sense the spirit, yet she couldn't. She didn't even know that a spirit was near until she bored her eyes into the soul of the man..

This was the first time she came across this phenomenon, or can it even be called a phenomenon? Or perhaps Lucy was not thinking enough..

Lupus continued to stare at Lucy, while Lucy stared at Lupus any sense of answers or hints on how and why the spirit was not following the rules of the celestial realm. No, the spirit was and has been following the rules, but something else played into the factor of Lupus staying in the human world.

Those markings on his body, the way that it looks while it traps celestial magic, and the way it felt so ominous as Lucy neared the spirit. Then a realization of all of her unspoken convictions came to view, and made Lucy question on how it had happened.

How had Lupus become the cursed fallen?

And whilst it explained why Lucy had not sensed the spirit before coming face to face with him, it also reveled in the truth that celestial spirits are capable of being cursed.

Amidst Lucy's own lamentations, Lupus decided to make the first move and jumped forward the blonde, swiping an alighted fist toward the blonde. Lucy registered just in time to sense an incoming attack, and dodged the swipe of a merciless spirit by mere inches.

As soon as she jumped backward to avoid the attack of the spirit, Lucy got into her fighting stance and made sure that the power of Taurus was still present. Still feeling the power coursing through her body, Lucy clenched her fist tightly as she gathered the strength of the cow and brought it to the ground as harshly as she could, creating a shockwave toward the smirking spirit.

Lupus remained still as the shockwave was nearing her position. At the last minute, he deflected it effortless with her hand, as it was the most weak attack thrown at him. "Is that all you got?" He taunted.

Lucy retained her distance for a moment. She observed how sane this spirit was, of all of the spirits that she had faced, Lupus was the most saner. She guessed that the curse was to blame. If that was the case, Lucy needed to find a way to release the spirit and send him back to where he belongs.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Lucy called upon the power of Corvus, immediately feeling the power of the shadows leaking into her very being. Using the spirit's power, she allowed herself to sink into the ground as a shadow and moved into the shadows that surrounded Lupus and her.

Lupus now stood rigid as he started to scan around for a moment, not even fazed that Lucy as suddenly sunk to the ground as a shadow. If anything, he was being laid back for the time being.

Lucy carefully maneuvered herself to stand behind Lupus, and took a moment to study the behavior of the spirit. Lupus remained unmoving as she looked in front of him with a blank look, not daring to speak a single word.

With the power of Taurus in her being, Lucy raised her shadowy fist and brought it down upon the unsuspecting spirit as hard as she could.

Shockingly to Lucy, the shadowy fist was effective enough to harshly send Lupus across with the clearing with a violent crash upon his clash with bystanders of trees and bushes. Lucy wasted no moment and approached the spirit and brought her fist, alighted with celestial power, and hit him hard in the stomach, sending her across the spirit again. Lucy honestly hated this type of fight against a spirit, and despised the thought of having to fight one herself.

Lupus struggled to get back to his feet and stared at Lucy as if nothing had happened.

Lucy sighed as Lupus remained still and unmoving, which freaked the blonde out. "I don't want to hurt you. Just tell me why are you doing this? I can help you, and I'll find a way to help you."

Lupus was silent for a moment before slightly smirking. "I had already told you. I want the world to be destroyed."

"That's too broad. There's has to be a specific reason."

Lupus frowned deeper before smirking evilly. "If you really want to help me, then you can die for me."

Lucy inwardly sighed with frustration. "Lupus. As one of the Transcendents, please return to the Realm."

Lupus smirked as he was shocked by the revelation that Lucy had shared. "I'm surprised that you know your stuff.

"Don't underestimate me, Lupus. I had never given up on you or the others, because I believed in you. And I still do. And I will not give up." Lucy gave the spirit a hard, cold glare.

Lupus only smirked as a response before lurching forward attempting to attack Lucy again with alighted celestial power wrapped around his fists. His onslaught of attacks was relentless and dangerous as he never let up, not even breaking a sweat.

Lucy had used Antlia's and Taurus's powers as she constantly dodged and blocked the relentless punch that the spirit had thrown at her.

With each attempted strike, with each attempted punch, and with each attempted kick, Lucy was growing weary and Lupus knew it.

Lupus then made one last punch, aimed toward Lucy's stomach. Weary and unable to block the attack, the impact sent the blonde across the clearing meters away with a violent roll. Lucy heaved slightly as she got on her knees and tried to push her self back to her feet.

"Done already?" Lupus smirked, approaching and towering over the heaving blonde. "Then stay down." Lupus said before placing his feet and planted it harshly on Lucy's back, forcibly crashing her back to the ground.

Now Lupus towered over Lucy, his feet planted securely on the blonde's back as she laid on the ground, almost kissing it.

"Lupus. This is enough." Lucy growled though the pain that was growing on her back.

"You're right. It's time to finish this. I'll let you live. But I will not let you use your magic again." Lupus smirked before removing his feet and immediately kicking the blonde in the side, sending her violently across the clearing, reveling in the cries of the blonde.

Lucy gritted her teeth to numb the pain in her side as she moved to get back on her feet with struggle. She moved her eyes and glared at the smirking spirit as a single tear streamed down her cheek. She didn't want to do this. Too much risk and danger.

"Crying because you lost?" Lupus taunted, spotting a glint of a tear streaming down the cheek of the blonde.

"No...You left me with no other choice Lupus." Lucy muttered as she straightened herself.

Lupus smirked. "You have more tricks under your sleeves? Let us see it."

Lucy glazed at the spirit, not entirely keen on using this technique that she had yet to use. She didn't want to, because it takes too much magical power and exhausted her physical means of continuing her fight against her opponent.

Lucy closed her eyes as she surrounded herself with celestial magic, condensing them toward her heart and expanding them across her body. She then used celestial fusion for all of the golden zodiacs she had. She was only missing one. The more zodiacs, the powerful the attack it, and it takes tons of magical powers to perform the magic.

After fusing with golden zodiacs that Lucy had, she slowly opened her eyes, instead of being chocolate brown, they were bright golden with hints of shimmer in them.

Lucy raised her hand toward a tensed spirit. She alighted her fist in a shimmer of bright gold and shot them toward the spirit. The magic was fast enough to hit the spirit before he could properly dodge.

Lupus was sent backwards meters away. As Lupus was struggling to get back up, Lucy was already in front of her. Lucy raised her fist and punched Lupus in the stomach and held him there. Lucy then sent a wave of magic into Lupus, attempting to release him from whatever had chained him to this world.

Another moment later, Lupus faltered and fell limp to the ground with a loud thump. His body was already shining, a sign that he was returning to the Realm.

"T-Thank...y-you." Lupus muttered before he disappeared back to his world.

Lucy fell to her knees and collapsed next to the ground with loud thud. Already driving into an unconsciousness state, she observed a familiar strange markings on the key that laid besides her.

The last thing she remembered was the screams of a familiar voice ringing in her ears.

 **A/N: If this was confusing, then let me know.**

 **As for the Transcendents, it will all be explained in the next chapter.**

 **Please review and comment on your thoughts of this story. I don't bite!**

 **Toodles!~~**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: A major rewrite, new and more juicy details had been added.**

 ** _PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one its love the most  
Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet_**

 **Please enjoy?**

With a loud gasp, Lucy bolted straight up into a sitting position with alert present in her eyes. Realizing that she had fallen unconscious after the battle against Lupus, the blonde started to look around. She noted the similar lighting and wood structure, and soon concluded that she was in the infirmary of her guild.

Lucy sat in her bed for a moment, recollecting and laminating over her battle with Lupus, the spirit. Having enough of staying in bed longer than she had to, Lucy pulled away the covers and moved to dangle her legs over the edge of the bed. With movements of her body, the blonde then registered the pain-filled scream of her injuries that lacerated her entire body.

That move that Lucy had performed had left a bigger consequence than Lucy realized, and she needed to be careful next time. She begun to use her celestial magic and used it properties and started to heal her most painful injuries.

Five minutes later, Lucy was free from the injuries and stood to her feet. She turned to the door and approached it. Opening and closing the door behind her, she failed to register a body clashing into her with a slight yelp of joy.

"Lucy!" The body cried as it wrapped it body around Lucy.

Returning to Earth from the sudden embrace of the unknown entity, Lucy turned to see the source, only to find a tear-eyed Mira hugging her tightly.

"I'm so glad you're awake! You almost gave me a heart attack when they had came back with you unconscious! I though you were going to die!" Mira cried.

Lucy returned the hug for a moment before pulling away. "Sorry to worry you guys. How long had I been out?"

"For couple of hours."

Lucy sighed with a slight sweat rolling down her head. "I think you are too dramatic sometimes."

Mira smiled and clasped Lucy's hand into hers. "Please don't do that again."

"Do what?"

For one minute, Mira was smiling, then the next minute, a dark aura surrounded her, making Lucy shrink back again. "Don't scare me like that again."

Lucy nervously smiled and tried her hardest to not shrink back from the sudden change in Mira's personality. "O-Of course."

Then the atmosphere around Mira changed to an aura that Lucy was used to. Lucy noted to herself to never anger Mira, she didn't want to find out what would happen .

"Anyway, where are Erza and the others?" Lucy asked, trying to change the subject, also wondered where they were.

"Erza's eating her cake, and the boys are fighting."

"I see. I'll go and meet with them. Thank you, Mira." Lucy smiled as she walked with Mira down the stairs, into the room where most of the members were. Mira and Lucy split ways as soon as they reached the base of the stairs, Mira preparing to serve the customers, and Lucy heading to greet her redhead friend.

Gray and Natsu was a table away from the bar, glaring at each other menacingly. Gray was in the process of stripping out of his clothes, and Natsu alighted his fist on fire as he threw insults toward to stripping mage.

Lucy ignored them and made her way to Erza and sat on a stool next to her. "Hey Erza."

Erza looked up from the sudden movement and the register of a voice that she didn't expect to hear for a couple more hours, surprised to see Lucy already up. "Lucy? Is it okay for you to be up already? You had all of those injuries."

Lucy nervously chuckled. "True, but I used my healing magic to heal all of my injuries. And the magic that I had used had left an enormous strain on my body, plus I was really struggling when I had faced him.

"I almost forgot that you can heal yourself. And I've been wondering on why they called you 'Princess'." Erza raised an eyebrow toward the blonde, wanting an explanation.

Lucy sighed and placed her head on the table. "I really can't talk about it to anyone. Only to someone I can really trust with my life."

"Well, you can trust us, can you?" Erza said as she plucked a forkful of cake into her mouth, already reveling in the sweet taste that the cake offered.

Lucy sat back up, looking at Erza. "It's really sensitive information. I really can't risk it. Plus there are some things that I really don't understand."

Erza stared at Lucy for a moment. "If I let you have a slice of my cake, will you tell me?" Erza said, before hovering a forkful of cake in front of Lucy's mouth.

"Eh?" Lucy blinked, staring at the cake, then at Erza with narrowed eyes. "Bribing me will not work."

Erza did not speak. She merely moved the cake closer to Lucy's mouth. Lucy sighed and moved the cake away. "Just give me awhile. I promise."

Erza pouted for a moment before eating the cake herself. "Fine. I will ask you later. Anyway, I have something for you." Erza said, digging into one of her pockets.

"What is it?" Lucy inquired, watching Erza digging into one of her pockets. Erza took out something in her hand and handed it to Lucy. "This was next to you when we found you unconscious."

Lucy eyes widened as she took the object from the Erza's hand and observed it. The key of Lupus. It was riddled with markings that was on Lupus when she had fought him. Additionally, Lucy couldn't feel any magical powers coming from the key. That was not a good sign.

Lucy stood up with haste and looked around the guild to find someone that would be the only people that could figure out what had happened to this key. Spotting her, Lucy made her way to Levy and sat in front of her and, forcibly closing the book that she was reading.

Levy looked up with annoyance. "Hey! What was that for!?" The bookworm was not fond of being roughly interrupted like that, unless there was some important issues...

Lucy handed her the key. "Sorry. But I need you to see what's wrong with this. Also what these symbols mean."

Levy takes the key from Lucy and scanned it for a moment. "I need to go to the library and see what these means." Levy looked up, already forgiving the blonde for interrupting her reading. "I'll find what this is." Levy stood up and went to the library, with Jet and Droy not too far behind, following her into the library.

Lucy sighed, hopeful that Levy would figure something out. She sat on the chair, and rested her head on her hands, frustrated about the things that had happened.

Lupus. Of the Great Wolf. One of the Transcendents. There would be no way for him to-

"Lucy?"

Lucy turned around to see Erza and the boys standing behind her, looking at her curiously.

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked.

"You look pale." Gray observed.

"Did something happen?" Erza crossed her arms.

Lucy stayed silent, staring each of the mage that expressed their concern for the blonde. She didn't know then for long, but it felt like she knew them for a long time, and these mages trusted Lucy with all of their might, almost making Lucy guilty of not telling Erza about her whole mission. Lucy studied them one more time, boring into the deep pools of their eyes, searching for a resolute truth that the can be trusted, because Lucy needed help. As much as she denies it, she needed it. Only one question remained: Can they be trusted?

With a silent deep escaping her mouth, Lucy stood and faced the mages with a small smile. She's going to risk it and tell these people, these mages, her friends that she had grown fond of.

"Follow me. I'll tell you everything." Lucy spoke before walking forward, toward the stairs where Makarov's office where. She could register the footsteps of her friends silently following her.

Erza knew what Lucy was about to reveal, and was anxious to what the blonde may say. Natsu and Gray was curious and unsure of what Lucy was talking about, but they still wanted to know, so they followed the footsteps of the blonde.

After going through the process of knocking, opening, and closing the door, Lucy walked deeper into the room Makarov's office, secretly creating a force field around them. The last thing that the blonde needed was someone eavesdropping on her, leaking the sensitive information that Lucy couldn't afford to reveal.

Makarov looked up from his sack of papers to see Lucy and the rest of the team standing in his office with a serious look on their face. He was more surprised to see that Lucy was already up from her injuries after Erza had ran into the guild with her in her arms. Nonetheless, he was glad to see that Lucy was back on her feet.

"Glad to see that you are okay. How may I help you? Was the mission a success?" Makarov asked with a smile to dissipate the rising tension that he could feel.

"The mission went well. But, there had been complications."

"The mission was successful. But there had been some complications." Lucy responded as she stepped forward.

"Yeah. They said something about this Princess." Natsu muttered, crossing his arms.

"Plus, we didn't get to fight." Gray frowned in disappointment.

"That because you iced that entire place!' Natsu glared at Gray.

"Wasn't my fault!" Gray retorted, raising his fists, ready to fight the dragon slayer.

"Enough!" Erza bashed their heads together to quiet them.

Makarov sighed and turned to Lucy. "What happened?"

"The mission went fine. But as the letter had stated, there was a mage with celestial magic. It turned out to be a celestial spirit." Lucy explained.

"Is that so?"

"It was a fallen spirit. It also had been cursed."

"Cursed?" Erza wondered, her eyes wondering to the blonde questioningly.

"But what bothered me the most was that it was one of the Transcendents. And it seemed that the spirit had told the enemy about everything." Lucy crossed her arms.

"Everything... Even the prophecy?" Makarov mumbled

"Yes. The spirit had revealed everything. Weaknesses, strengths, everything."

"And who was this spirit?" Erza cut in.

Lucy turned to Erza. "Lupus the Great Wolf. One of the Transcendents." She turned back to Makarov. "Lupus told them everything. The enemy will soon act."

Makarov stared at Lucy for a moment before sighing. "I'm too old to deal with this." Makarov stood up and walked toward the door. "I will be visiting some old friends and speak to them about this, hopefully to find some additional answers for you. I'll be gone for a few days. Mira will be in charge for the time being." The Makarov left the room.

There was silence for a few moments before the mages started to bombard Lucy with countless questions. Erza remained silent, with questions in her mind that made her question on some things.

"Prophecy?"

"Enemy? Do we get to fight!?"

"What's happening?"

"Tell us!"

"ENOUGH!" Erza shouted, quieting the boys. She then turned to Lucy with a stern look. "Lucy. Tell us. What's happening?"

"A war of destruction will soon be upon us. More than 400 years ago, a prophecy was foretold about a wizard of darkness bring about destruction in which this world will be no more." Lucy explained.

"What was the prophecy?" Gray asked, rubbing his bump on his head.

Lucy complied and spoke the first line. " _Into the future, doom shall befall_."

"'Into the future'?" Natsu enquired, liking the idea of futures and the like.

" _It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it_." Lucy continued.

"The chosen 5? Who are they? And who is this wizard of light?" Gray asked.

"I am the wizard of light, and as for the chosen 5...I do not know." Lucy answered.

"I see. Is there more?"

" _The stars of 88 must combine_." Lucy spoke the next line.

"What does that mean?" Natsu rubbed his head confusingly.

"I must collect all 88 celestial keys." Lucy responded.

"Why?"

"I was told that I would be able to have the ability to summon the Celestial King when I have all 88 keys in my possessions."

"That's so cool!" Natsu grinned. "Do I get to fight him?"

"Quiet!" Erza turned to Natsu with a glare. She turned back to Lucy. "Continue."

" _Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide_." Lucy spoke the next line.

"...The knight is obviously Erza. But what is the revelation of the stars?" Gray queried

Lucy shook her head. "It may not be Erza. There are other plenty of Knights out there." Lucy glared at Erza for a moment. "The revelation of the stars might be me. With the possession of all 88 keys, I become the guidance of the stars. But I can't really imagine Erza and I fighting."

"But we had clashed." Erza pointed out.

"Perhaps. But that's the thing. I really don't think that was part of the prophecy."

"So you are saying that we may fight again?" Erza crossed her arms.

Lucy sighed. "Like I said, I do not know."

"Just get on with the next prophecy!" Natsu interrupted, wanting to know more.

" _A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all_." Lucy complied and recited the next line.

"A relationship? With who?" Gray asked.

Lucy shook her head shook her head again. "I do not know."

"What's the next line?" Natsu asked, picking his nose, not entirely interested in romances and shit.

" _When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one it's love the most_." Lucy recited.

"A naked star? Sounds dirty." Natsu snickered.

"Shut up flame breath!" Gray shouted.

Erza was quick to punch both of them before a fight escalated to a physical fight. She turned back to Lucy and gestured her to continue.

"The last line is: _Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet_."

"Sounds...interesting." Erza commented. "The wizard of light and darkness...who are they?"

"The wizard of darkness may be Zeref. Maybe. As for the wizard of light...I do not know."

"I know it's not you. Zeref was from 400 years ago. There would be no way for you to know him." Erza said.

Lucy nervously smiled. "I actually had met Zeref before."

Erza blinked, and the boys shot up their feet, "What!?"

"I...well...I had come from the past. Zeref's time. Before I had left this world, I had spoken to Zeref, even though I was really little. You could say that we were accomplice of some sort."

"Wait...where did you disappeared into?" Natsu asked.

"I had been in the Celestial Realm for only 5 years. But in this world, more than 400 years had already passed.

"That's...so COOL!" Natsu beamed, grinning widely. "Take me there sometimes!"

"Shut up flame breath." Gray growled at Natsu before turning back to Lucy. "But that does sounds cool." Gray smiled, crossing his arms.

"What about your family?" Erza inquired.

"Ah...well, my mother did join me in the Realm, but left after 3 years. She was one of the founders of Fairy Tail. That's why I'm here. As for my father, I really don't know where he is, but I know he's has to do something with prophecy."

"I see. So this war, when is it?" Erza asked.

"I really don't know. I could be days. Weeks. Months. Years until the war starts." Lucy confessed.

"Well, when the war do start, we'll give them a good beating." Natsu grinned, pumping his fists together.

"I'll freeze their brains in process!" Gray added.

"Heh. Thanks guys. Can you keep this a secret?"

Natsu and Gray grinned. "Of course!"

"I'm hungry." Natsu muttered before heading for the door. He turned around a bit, "Imma leave for some food. See ya'll later, Luigi, scary knight, ice princess."

Then Natsu left, leaving Gray, Lucy, and Erza alone in the room. But it wasn't long till gray grumbled and stalked out of the room, mumbling something about revenge.

Now silence filled the air as Lucy stayed unmoving, noticing that Erza had yet to move a muscle. Curiously, she turned to face the redhead, see that her eyes were boring into her very being with a blank expression.

"Is there something wrong?" Lucy spoke up, snapping Erza out of her dead state.

"One of the lines in the prophecy bothers me." The redhead confessed.

"Really? Which one?"

"The one where a new relationship must not occur. It had never stated who was not allowed to be a relationship with."

"Hmm. Yes, you're right." Lucy muttered before looking into Erza's eyes. "Is there anyone you like?"

"Huh? Why would you say that?"

"Well, you said that you were bothered by it. So it must mean that you wanted a relationship with someone...only to be bothered by it because of the prophecy."

Erza sighed and looked away. "You got me. I sort of...fallen in love with someone."

"What will you do about it?" Lucy asked.

Erza turned to Lucy. "I do not know. I was about to confess soon, but your prophecy made me...hesitant on doing it."

"I see. Well, the prophecy never said that it had to be a romantic one, it may be a different type of relationship. So, I think you can take the risk." Lucy smiled reassuringly.

"I see. Thank you." Erza smiled.

Lucy started for the door. "I need to talk to Levy to see if she knows anything about that key. Talk to you later." Lucy smiled as she disabled to force field and stumbled out of the room, and sauntered her way to where the library was. Walking into the library, Lucy started to look around until she spotted Levy, surrounded by many books scattered around her..

Levy was wearing the wind glasses that allowed her to read through a single book within minutes. Lucy stood at the door way for a view minutes as she watched Levy finishing up a book and putting it aside, picking up a new book, reading it almost instantly. The blonde then moved to sit in the chair across Levy, the latter not fully registering the presence of a new occupant in the library.

"Find anything?" Lucy spoke up after a view more moments of silence, causing Levy to jump a little in fright.

"L-Lu-chan!? Don't scare me like that." Levy looked up with slightly wide eyes as she eyed the blonde that sat across her.

Lucy chuckled a little. "Sorry about that. How's the research going?"

Levy sighed as she looked at the book she was currently reading. "Well...this marking on this key is definitely a curse. And it seemed to be restricting any magic to be released."

"Think you can get rid of it?" Lucy asked, hoping that it can be broken.

Levy read through her book some more before looking back at Lucy. "I need to read and research some more."

Lucy groaned a little. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Hmm..." Levy hummed as she looked back down and begun to read through her book.

Lucy waited for a moment before deciding that levy was already in her little world. She turned to see Jet and Droy sleeping at one of the tables. With a deep sigh, Lucy got to her feet and left the room, opting to go home and rest.

* * *

It had been couple of days since that battle. Lucy and her team had received their fat reward from the council for completing the mission. Lucy was still waiting for Levy to find some other information about that key and the weird marks on it. Natsu, Happy, and Gray was nowhere to be found. Lucy assumed them to be spending their new-found hardcore money and buy something epic. In Natsu's and Happy's case, it was food. Erza had been distant recently. Lucy figured it was the crush she had mentioned. She wondered who it was.

Lucy sat at the bar, enjoying a cup of milkshake that Mira gave her for free. She was tensed for many things as she sipped on her milkshake. The cursed key. Lupus's words. The prophecy. The forbidden relationship. The unknown myth, and a sacrifice. The battle between the wizard of light and darkness. None of them makes any sense. Then there's this unknown power that Mavis had stated that Lucy has.

An inevitable war of doom. Can Lucy really stop it? She couldn't even fight Lupus properly because she didn't want to hurt him. Spirits feel pain...Lupus doesn't deserve pain. None of the spirits deserve them.

"Lu-Chan!" A loud feminine shout called out.

Lucy paused in her reverie and turned to see Levy running to her with the key in one hand and a sack of paper in the other.

"Levy? Did you figure something out?" Lucy asked as Levy sat next to Lucy with glint in her eyes.

Levy handed her the key to Lucy. "Yes."

"What are they?" Lucy asked as she took the key from Levy.

Levy turned to the sack of paper that was in her hand and begun to read from it. Lucy listened with intensity of not wanting to miss any important details that she needed to know.

"Well, the markings on that key is a very special and rare curse that can only be broken when combined by the other three cursed item."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Lucy scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"Basically, there are four cursed items. You had already...more or less, defeated one cursed key. If that key was cursed by a more common curse, then it would already been lifted already. But that key had been cursed by a very rare one."

Lucy took a deep breath. "So I need to find three more cursed keys in order to break the curse completely? Is it like a body link magic?

Levy nodded. "Yes. Other than that, there is no other way to break them completely."

"Okay. But why does it have to be four keys that are connected and not...like three or five keys that are cursed or connected?" Lucy asked, seeing how it was a little...too descriptive.

Levy read through her notes again for a moment before looking back at Lucy. "It what the book says. It may or may not be true."

Lucy deeply sighed. "Anything else?"

Levy shook her head. "No. But I can go back and see if I can find anything else for you." Levy offered.

Lucy sighed and begun to think for a moment before turning back to Levy. "Levy...can you do a quick research on the Transcendents of the Celestial Spirits?"

"Transcendents?" Levy inquired.

"Yes. There are four of them. I think that there is a chance that the other three cursed keys are the other three Transcendents. I want to know what the world know about them." Lucy explained.

Levy smiled and nodded. "Will do, Lu-Chan!" Levy stood up and ran back to the library with much more intensity and joy of being helpful. Lucy was about to get up and follow her to ask her if she needed any help until she heard a voice behind her.

"Who are the Transcendents?"

Lucy turned to see a curious girl, clad in armor.

"Huh? Oh...well...where can I begin?" Lucy was surprised to see Erza, considering how distant see had been, not that she minded.

Erza stared at Lucy for a moment before sitting in a chair next to her, beckoning Lucy to sit as well. Lucy silently complied and sat down, staring at the redhead that seemed stiff for some reason.

"You can start from the beginning."

"Um...Okay. But why do you want to know?" Lucy asked.

Erza was silent for a moment before speaking. "I...It seemed interesting to know?"

Lucy stared at Erza for a moment before a deep sigh escaped her breath, and begun to explain. "Well...the Transcendents are the four silver-keyed spirits that are powerful, almost to the level of the golden-keyed spirits. They are powerful, but for some reason, they do not receive much recognition. They are known for being spirits that brought peace to this world after the war with the dragons 400 years ago. I heard they had went missing when I came back. I didn't think much of it at the time, knowing that I would come across them eventually."

"...Who are these spirits?" Erza asked.

"The one I had fought is Lupus the Great Wolf. The other three missing celestial spirits are Draco, Pegasus, and Phoenix. As powerful as they are, they had went missing. And I want to know why." Lucy murmured the last part.

"And Lupus gave you a hard time?"

Lucy sighed. "I was afraid. I was confused. I was unsure of what to do." She looked up to stare at Erza in the eyes. "I didn't want to hurt Lupus."

Erza smiled. "That makes sense. So you were pulling your punches while fighting him?"

Lucy nodded. "Yes."

"In the end, you managed to get his key."

Lucy nodded with a frown. "Yes. But at the same time, I haven't. For the prophecy to come true, I need all working keys to be at my disposal. But for some reason, I cannot summon Lupus. I cannot use his power."

"So what will you do about it?" Erza inquired.

Lucy was silent for a moment, trying to fill in the pieces, and thinking about the mission. The mission...the mission...the other man...Lucy turned back to Erza with a questioningly look. "Erza...what happened to that man you fought?"

Erza sighed and looked away with a guilty look. "He escaped."

Lucy took a deep breath. "Alright. Thanks." Lucy stood up and started to walk out of the guild, making her way to her place, but was suddenly stopped in her track by a pull on her arm.

She turned to see Erza with guilt painted on her face. "I know you asked me to take care of the man. And I'm sorry for that."

Lucy smiled and touched that Erza was apologizing for something that wasn't important. "It's okay Erza."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to visit the council."

 **A/N: Hope you like this!**

 **Please comment and review on your thoughts and stuff. I don't bite ;3**

 **Toodles!~~**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: *This is a major rewrite!***

 **PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one its love the most  
Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

"I'll come with you."

Lucy stared at the girl cad in armor that claimed such declaration, questioning her skeptically. "Just because I had told you some sensitive information doesn't mean you can follow me everywhere."

"...Well...I want to help with this quest of yours." Erza murmured with a slight tint of pink painted on her cheeks, to which Lucy failed to notice.

"All I am doing I just visiting the council." Lucy flat toned.

Erza pouted a little. "I can be your escort, and help you." She wanted to spend more time with her...and probably understand what these feelings of hers were.

Lucy sighed inwardly. "You're not going to take a 'no' for an answer, are you?"

Erza merely stared back at the blonde with a blank face that already answered for Lucy's question.

"Fine." Lucy gave up. "But you need to change your clothes."

"Why? What's wrong with my clothing?" Erza frowned as she looked down at her attire, finding nothing wrong with it.

"When I I travel, I use magic, it's called a void and it allows me to go through them and travel anywhere I want. But I need to have celestial clothes to be able to do that, I cannot survive in it without the celestial clothes. You're no exception."

Erza nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. But where can I get the clothes?"

"I'll summon them for you."

* * *

After Erza was situated in the celestial clothes provided by Lucy, the blonde then proceeded to open the void, letting Erza go through first.

Erza was immediately fascinated when she had stepped through the void. The void, in Erza's opinion was breath-taking and beautiful. It was as if she was in space riddled with galaxies, surrounded by the numerous shinning stars.

"Come on." A stern voice snapped Erza out of her ogling.

Erza turned around to see a familiar cloaked figure that she recognized. Lucy stood, wearing the cloak top to bottom and stared at Erza through the hood, wanting to get this meeting with the council over with.

"Why wear the cloak now?" Erza asked with curiosity as she made her way toward the cloaked girl.

Lucy turned to one particular direction and begun to walk forward, expecting Erza to follow. "The council does not know what I look like and I intend on keeping it that way."

"Ah, that would make sense." Erza mumbled as she walked in step with the cloaked girl beside her. "How can you travel though this?"

"It's complicated. It takes time to get used to where you can open a void. It's all about mathematics and memorization."

"Oh. I see..." Erza felt a little awkward she continued to walk next to Lucy, unsure of what else to talk about.

Couple minutes later, Lucy suddenly stopped. "We're here." She motioned her hand sideways and reopened the void, revealing a greenery scene of grass and trees. She allowed Erza to exit first before stepping back into the human world and close the void.

"Follow me." Lucy called out to Erza as she started to walk in the direction of a large building that rested in the distance. Erza eagerly complied, following her cloaked companion through the scenery to where the council lies.

Weaving through the grassland of their surroundings, and making their way into the council building, Lucy guided Erza to where all of the councilmen usually hang out. In the corner of her eyes, she noticed the tension and the grave look that she radiated. As concerned as she was, she ignored it and continued to approach the room of the councilmen.

Now standing in front of the councilmen, and having their attention on both the Fairy Tail mages, Lucy again, observed the rising tension that sent chills down her spine, the tension coming from the redhead. Curiously, she turned to face the armored girl only to see hatred and anger in the pools of chocolate.

"What's wrong?" Lucy whispered.

Erza didn't say anything at first, until she turned to face the cloaked girl with a soft, yet grim expression. "I just don't trust one of these councilmen."

Lucy didn't respond to that, silently agreeing with her. She didn't trust the council, as sincere as they were, she noted how corrupted it was. Lucy quickly eyed one councilman in particular, questioning his reason for being here.

"Gamma Ibis, It's good to see you. We must thank you for the mission you had completed." One of the councilmen spoke up, eliminating any silence that rested between the councilmen and the Fairy Tail mages.

"What do we owe the pleasure for you being here?" Another councilmen added.

"The letter that you had sent, it had spoken of a mage that knows celestial magic. I request you to notify me if there are any other requests or rumors of anyone possessing celestial magic."

"I see. Very well. You will be the first person to know when we find a mage possessing celestial magic. May we ask why?" One of the councilmen asked.

"The mission you requested me to do, there had been complications, and the mages we had fought had ties to the knowledge of celestial magic and something more...dangerous." Lucy explained, trying to be careful in not revealing too much.

"Dangerous? What kind of dangers?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm afraid that I do not know the full extent of the danger. But it will cause casualty."

"Hmm...I see. We'll do our best to find some information about mages possessing celestial magic."

Lucy nodded "Thank you. I must be going now." She then turned on her heels and started to walk out, hearing the footsteps of her companion following her.

Lucy remained quiet as she exited the building, out in the greenery landscape that surrounded the council. Erza followed behind the cloaked girl, with many grave thoughts raging in her mind. She absently followed Lucy in the void and glanced at the blonde everyone once in a while.

As soon as Lucy discarded the cloak, Erza spoke up. "Why did you ask them for information on celestial magic?"

"There is a high chance that I may find the missing keys, and that man that had escaped. He may lead us to the missing keys...and I will have him tell us what and how he knows about the prophecy and such." Lucy explained as she walked to the direction of where their guild should be.

"I see, is that why you weren't mad that I had let the man escape?"

Lucy stopped and turned to Erza with a frown. "Even if I didn't need the man to locate the missing keys, I wouldn't be mad at you. I think it's better for him to escape than having you die on me." Lucy turned and started walking forward again, missing the tint blush that had formed on Erza's cheek.

"By the way, you said that you didn't trust one of the councilmen. Who were are they?" Lucy looked over her shoulder to glance Erza.

Erza was silent for a moment, conforming an answer that made her so conflicted. "Siegrian...I don't trust him."

"Siegrain? The hologram?" Lucy perked up.

Erza stared at the back of Lucy's figure with questioningly look. "Hologram? Seigrain is the twin brother of Jellal."

"Jellal?"

"I-I...Jellal and I...had a past...something happened..." Erza stuttered.

Lucy suddenly stopped and turned around to face Erza, sensing the hesitant tone in her voice. "What happened?"

"Jellal and I used to be friends. We were taken as slaves for the revival of Zeref. Then we managed a riot. Somewhere amidst the riot, Jellal had turned evil. I was the only one to escape as a slave."

Lucy narrowed her eyes as she turned around and started to walk away with these new information sinking in. "Siegrain is not real. My best guess is that this Jellal person had used a hologram to infiltrate the council."

"What?" Erza's eyes widened at the new revelation that the blonde had revealed.

"And reviving Zeref...that will not be possible." Lucy added as she continued walked forward.

Erza ran forward and harshly grabbed Lucy's arm to stop her in her tracks, demanding more answers. "What are you talking about!? How do you know that Seigrain is a hologram!?"

Lucy turned her head to glance at Erza who had an angry, yet conflicted look painted on her face. "I have the ability to sense magical energy from every mages I see, even normal people. However, I cannot sense any magical energy coming from Seigrain."

Erza loosened her grip on Lucy as she let in the information sink in, not entirely wanting to believe in the accommodations that Lucy had claimed.

"I consider the councilmen fools to not realize the corruption that they allowed to hold the position of power." Lucy intoned with a grave tone of distaste.

"And Zeref? Why you say that reviving him will not be possible?" Erza inquired.

"Because he had never been asleep, or dead for all that matter." Lucy answered as she watched Erza's eyes widened. The blonde couldn't tell it if was from fear or from something else.

"What do you know!?" Erza was becoming hysterical. She was filled with uncertainty and guilt...If Lucy was telling the truth, then all of that effort that Jellal had done to her friends, for the claimed 'ceremony' of he had promised to finish...Then all was for nothing.

Lucy closed her eyes as she turned around and took couple of steps forward before stopping, retaining some distance between her and Erza. "You are free to believe me or not. I have my own matters to attend to." She turned around to look at Erza dead in the eyes, "I do not know who Jellal is to you, but you need to understand; if he is connected to Zeref, I will not hesitate to kill him if I have no choice."

Erza flinched at Lucy's declaration. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists for a moment before walking up to Lucy with a serious look. "If you are going to face him. I want to come too."

"Is there a reason why?" Lucy raised an eyebrow at the redhead.

Erza hung her head, and kept silent for a moment before confessing. "I had lost...I betrayed my friends. I left them behind. I turned my back on them...all for the sake of my freedom. I needed to do it, I had to do it...or my friends would've been in danger. I had been waiting for a time to come back and try and save them...but I could never gather the courage to do so. I need to face Jellal and finish this once and for all."

Lucy kept silent as Erza rambled about her guilt with her old friends and her relationship with them. "When you do face Jellal, what will you expect?"

Erza looked up to see Lucy looking at her expectantly. "What do you mean?"

"Are you hoping to save him and make him go back to our side?" Lucy knew that what Erza was thinking, she knew that Erza cared for her friends. And hearing Erza talk about her old friends, Lucy could make out some old feelings...especially toward Jellal. And she wondered if Erza was hoping to go back and save Jellal as well, along with her other old friends.

"If I could...I would." Erza confessed.

Lucy silently chuckled at the confession of her redhead companion. Erza, a soft and kindhearted woman that only cares for her comrades. But she needs to know that those feelings are vulnerable and lethal, as it can be used against her.

"Erza. I will warn you. Things will not go as you plan. Things will always go south. You may come, but come at your own risks." Lucy warned, allowing for Erza to come with her.

Erza nodded, understanding and accepting any consequences that may come her way. Lucy gave her a small smile before turning to the side and motioned her hands to the side, opening the void in the process.

After both of the mages were back into the human world, into the town of magnolia, Lucy immediately made her way toward the direction of the guild.

"What will you do now?" Erza called out after her as she walked in step with the blonde.

"I need to take care of something before I go after Jellal, I need to recollect the information that you had given me." Lucy answered as she continued to walk to the guild.

She was having a bad feeling about Jellal and Erza's story about him is...disturbing. There's no doubt that he was brainwashed. But there's something else that made her uneasy. Zeref...does he have something to do with Jellal? Did he brainwash him?

The missing Transcendents. Seigrain and Jellal. Zeref and Jellal. Are they connected?

With the guild in view, Lucy sped up, leaving Erza behind, and stormed inside the building. Immediately, she started to look around, looking for a particular mage that she could always count on. Not seeing her in the common room, she proceeded to the library, hoping that she could find her there.. Spotting the girl behind piles of books, the blonde sauntered to the girl to find out if she had found any more information that she had asked her to find.

"Levy, any luck on the Transcendents?" Lucy asked, approaching the bookworm from behind.

Levy jolted a little from the sudden sound of a voice and turned around to see Lucy behind her with a blank expression. "L-Lu-Chan!? I told you stop sneaking up on me like that!"

Lucy chuckled a little and sat down next to Levy. "Sorry. Did you find anything on the Transcendents?"

Levy narrowed her eyes a little at Lucy before turning back to her book that she was reading. "Well, the Transcendents are basically the Four Legendary mages. Lu-Chan, you said that they were celestial spirits, right?"

Lucy nodded.

"Well, according to records, the Transcendents are the legendary mages. It is said that each of them are capable of taking down a single dragon on their own. They were last seen after the battle of the dragons. Their identities remains unknown, and their power is unknown. Some people even say that they are immortal and invincible."

Lucy sweatdropped more and more as she continued to hear more one what is known about the Transcendents. "O-Okay...That sounds...too off."

Levy looked up to Lucy. "Is that so?"

Lucy sighed and crossed her arms. "The Transcendents are known for their power. Almost to the level of the zodiacs. They are celestial spirits. They needed to be summoned in order to fight. There is no way the Transcendents could be able to fight the dragons alone, they need owners in order to do that. Unless...they had become the fallen. But that wouldn't make sense. If they had become a fallen, then why would they fight the dragons?" Lucy rambled under her breath.

Levy stared at Lucy unknowingly and unsure of what she was talking about. "U-Um..."

Lucy sighed deeply as she stood back to her feet. "I'm too young to be dealing with this." She grumbled as walked out of the library hastily, making her way to the bar, ordering some milkshake from Mira in the process.

Lucy sat silently in her seat, trying to clear mind as she waited for her order.

The mystery revolving around the Transcendents and the cursed keys. Lucy wondered if it had to do anything with the prophecy. Will it play the part as a sacrifice? Or is it a myth that becomes a truth?

"Lu-Chan!" A loud shrieking voice reached Lucy.

A with a tired sigh, the blonde turned to the side to see Levy running to her with a thick book in her hands. "What is it?"

"I had something else to tell you. But you just walked off." Levy pouted as she sat next to Lucy.

"Sorry. I'm just stressed about all of this." Lucy said as her order came. She immediately took a sip of her milkshake, already loving the taste of it.

"Anyway. I did some more research on that cursed key." Levy begun, opening her book to a page she had bookmarked.

Lucy perked up at the mention of what Levy had said and gave her her undivided attention. "Go on."

"First, can I see that cursed key?" Levy asked, extending her hand, waiting for the key to placed on her hand.

Lucy blinked once before complying and handed her the key from the void. Levy takes it and hovered it next to a picture that Lucy couldn't really make out.

"There's no doubt. This marking on this key is the curse of Zeref." Levy concluded after a moment of comparing the key to a picture in the book.

Lucy was silent as her eyes widened. "Zeref?" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Zeref and her keys...they had to be connected now.

But one question remained: Jellal. Where did Jellal stand? Erza had said that he will try to revive Zeref and rule the world. But what did not make sense to Lucy was that Jellal was a victim and led the riot...only to turn evil and go to the other side. Unless...someone did brainwash him...

Lucy reopen her eyes and turned to Levy. "Thank you." Without waiting for her reply, Lucy stood up from the bar and looked around to search for Erza. Immediately, she sees the armored girl at a table, eating a strawberry cake with a glint of joy in her eyes, and made her way toward the redhead.

In the corner of her eyes, Erza noticed movement of a mage approaching her. Turning to see the entity of the mage approaching her, she sees Lucy with a stern look painted on her face. Concern and anxious, the redhead dropped her fork on the plate and fully faced the blonde.

"Lucy? Is everything alright?" Erza queried.

"We leave now. Are you still willing to come?" Lucy asked

Erza was silent, unsure of what she was talking about, until the realization came to her. Her surprised expression quickly turned to that of determination. "Yes."

"We need to bring the boys as well."

"Why?" Erza wondered as she scrunched her face in confusion.

"We are a team. You guys had taught me that. We will go in as a team, and leave as a team." Lucy slightly smiled.

Erza was silent for a moment before sighing with a small smile. "Alright. When do we leave?"

"As soon as we gather everyone."

Erza nodded. "I'll go get Gray."

Lucy watched as Erza left to go and fetch Gray. She turned around to search for the other member of her team, only to find Natsu and Happy at a table, snoozing their life away.

She walked up to them and shook them awake. "Natsu. Happy. Wake up. We have a job to go to."

At those words, Natsu and Happy bolted straight up with glint in their eyes. "A job? Let's do it Luigi!"

Lucy sighed and bonked him on the head, but not hard, but enough to get the message across. "Please get my name right."

* * *

Once the team was assembled outside of the guild, Lucy turned to Erza with a question in mind. "Do you know where Jellal is?"

"Who's Jellal?" Natsu questioned, cocking his head to the side.

"Far east, past Shirotsume town. It's a desert wasteland over there." Erza answered, ignoring Natsu's question.

Lucy nodded and opened a void in front of them to which Natsu, Happy, and Gray exclaimed excitedly.

"Whoa!"

"This is cool!"

"Aye!"

Lucy blocked their path before they tried to enter the void. She quickly summon a pile of celestial clothes for them to wear. "Put these on."

"Even me?" Happy asked.

Lucy nodded.

Couple minutes later, after everyone was situated in their celestial clothes, Lucy allowed the mages to enter and closed the void once they were all in the void.

Natsu, Gray, and Happy were making eye-ogling expression as they scanned their surroundings. Lucy and Erza remained quiet as they walked forward. Lucy was tensed about the missing spirits and Zeref's connection to them. Erza was tensed about meeting her old friends, but was mostly concerned for Lucy.

A young girl being burdened with the weight of the world on her shoulders, especially from such a young age. Erza could not imagine how it felt like, to know that the world depended on you.

"We are here." Lucy spoke, interrupting the eye-ogling of the boys and Erza's reverie and opened a void and let them out first.

"Where are we?" Natsu asked as soon as everyone was out of the void.

"We are in the middle of nowhere. In the far-east, past Shirotsume. The place where Erza had said Jellal would be should be around here." Lucy explained, scanning past the horizon of the wasteland they were in.

"We were in that void for only a minute. That was fast." Gray commented as he looked around.

"Aye!" Happy cheered, sprouting wings to fly instead of walking.

Lucy silently called upon the power of Aquila for the power of vision. The power of the equal, now enchanting Lucy's vision, allowed the blonde to search beyond the horizon. She started to search on all sides that the blonde could access to, hoping to catch a glimpse of what Erza had described.

Not a second later, Lucy spotted something north of their position. She used her magical senses to determine if it had some...suspicious magical levels.

 _Darkness._

 _Hatred._

 _Agony._

 _Fear._

That was all Lucy could sense. She pointed in the direction of which she could feel the agonizing entities of depression and evil. "It's this way."

"Alright! Let's go!" Natsu roared, running straight toward the place, already smelling them. Happy soon followed behind.

"Hey! Wait up!" Gray yelled, running after him.

Lucy sighed as she and Erza ran after them in annoyance.

10 minutes later, the mages stood in front of the gigantic building that looked so much like a castle. Natsu, Happy, and Gray was staring at it, muttering how cool it looked. Erza remained silent as she stared at the building before her, filled with nostalgia.

Lucy was about to say something about making a plan until there was a deep voice resonating in the air.

"So glad you mages could join the party. Especially you, Erza. And it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess."

"Who's there!?" Natsu roared, looking around with alighted flames in his hands.

"Show yourself so I can ice your face!" Gray shouted, getting into his fighting stance.

Lucy stayed mute and unmoving as she tried to sense where the mysterious voice was. Only to sense it deep in the castle.

Erza remained quiet, trusting Lucy's decision to remain quiet and still, but she was restless and afraid. And she was unsure of what to do...now that she was here. Where was her old friends?

"Erza. You had grown prettier by the years. But I must confess that I will be taking the Princess from you pathetic mages. Princess. I have a surprise for you." The voice continued with a low tone.

"You're not taking anyone from us!" Gray shouted.

"Aye!"

"And who is this Princess everybody keep talking about!?" Natsu exclaimed with a tick on his forehead.

Lucy turned to Erza, "I'm guessing this is Jellal?"

Erza nodded and turned to her. "What will you do?"

Lucy smirked. "Before I joined this guild, I would go straight in for some answers. But now, I rather for us to go in as a team."

Erza smiled at that. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Then there was a loud explosion and a loud ominous laugh was heard from behind. The mages turned around to face three mages.

Erza immediately narrowed her eyes when she knew who she was facing. Lucy could feel and sense enormous magical energy...but they lacked something else. Lucy did not have time to really think on what they lacked when Erza shoved her back.

"Lucy. You have a job to do, correct? Go. We'll keep them at bay." Erza volunteered, summoning two swords in her hands and faced the enemy.

Lucy paused to see the Natsu and Gray was itching for a fight, and Erza ready to fight for her. And Happy was hiding behind a rock. She smiled as she turned and ran into the building, intent on finding Jellal for some answers...and if he is connected to Zeref or not.

Following the ominous magic, it did not take Lucy long to locate the man. But she also sensed another man. It felt familiar...too familiar. Uncertainty and anxious, Lucy walked into the room and paled.

Why was her father here?

 **A/N: Can you guess why?**

 **Please review and comment on your thoughts!** **I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Slight rewrite, added details, and fixed some grammars.**

 **PROPHECY:  
Into the Future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one its love the most  
Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks as she stared at the two men in front of her. The opposition of unfamiliarity and uncertainty made Lucy tremble with fear and anxiety as she stood unmoving and rigid.

For once, it had been a long time since she had seen her own father and had assumed him to have passed away, considering how 100 years had passed, and when her mother had also passed away. Now Lucy stood in front of a man that looked so much like her father, to which she refused to believe.

The contradictory opposition of uncertainty and the unfamiliarity of standing in place, overtaken by the fact that Lucy's conviction had taken a turn for the worst.

Lucy could sense anger, pain, despair, and agony...all coming from this man. The man next to him had nothing other than a smirk painted on his face, with an addition to a red tattoo over his right eye.

Lucy had also observed the man, her father, to have the markings of Zeref all over his body, which terrified the young mage.

"We had been waiting for you, Princess." The man with the tattoo, as Lucy guessed him to be Jellal, spoke.

Lucy narrowed her eyes, and kept a watchful eye on her father. "What is the meaning of this? And tell me what you know."

"What do I know?" Jellal took a step forward. "Well, I do know enough to know that you will be saving the world and prevent a catastrophic event in the near future. I am willing to prevent you from doing your part of the prophecy. Zeref will rise, and will triumph."

Lucy frowned a little. "The prophecy. Where had you heard it?"

"The prophecy? What prophecy are you talking about? For all we know, we could be talking about two different prophecies." Jellal smirked.

Sighing inwardly, Lucy decided to switch to anther tatic. "Then tell me, what is you connection with Zeref?"

"Zeref? What would you like to know about him?" Jellal grinned and sneered at the blonde.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at Jellal for a moment before turning to her father. "The markings on him is the mark of Zeref. They were also found on the key of Lupus. And I intend on finding who had casted them."

Jellal snickered evilly for a moment. "Zeref is the only one capable of marking someone with a curse of that level."

Lucy was silent for a moment, before facing her father, "Father, can you explain to me on what the hell is going on? What is the meaning of this? Why are you here!?" Lucy called out,

Her father only grinned. "I am simply doing what I was ordered to do. I will stop the prophecy and destroy the world."

"The father I knew would never think such things. What changed?" Lucy growled.

"I had simply seen the truth. And I intend on returning the magic to where it belongs." Jude responded with a smirk.

Lucy gritted her teeth ever so slightly with frustration. "Nothing needs to be changed, and nothing needs to be returned. Everything is at peace, and everything is perfect as they are. There is no need to change them."

Jude frowned for a split second before taking couple steps toward her daughter. "And it seemed I need to reeducate my daughter."

Lucy readied herself in a fighting stance as her father approached her.

Jude raised his hand and a series of golden glowing chains appeared from the ground and lurched toward Lucy.

Lucy quickly called upon the power of speed from her spirit, Antlia, and immediately felt to power coursing through her body. She jumped backwards just as the first stream of golden chain embedded itself in the ground that Lucy was moments earlier.

The golden glowing chains did not relent as they continues to throw itself toward to where Lucy stands, with only one goal in mind: trap Lucy.

As soon as Lucy dodged the second stream of golden chain, she called upon the spirit of Carina for the power of iron. Once the power settled in her body, she willed her arms and legs to transform into iron, and steeled herself as she begun to deflect the chains one by one.

Having enough of deflecting the fifth stream of golden chains, Lucy grabbed one of the chain and held it tightly as she grabbed for another chain. Having a solid grip on two chains, Lucy lurched toward her father and attempted to wrap the chains around him, hoping to bind him and force some answers from him.

Sadly and unfortunately, the chains dispersed into nothing, as Jude willed them to disappear before they could even touch him, and Lucy felt a strong kick to her side, and was sent hurtling across the room with a sickening thud.

"Don't think that I will be defeated by my own magic." Jude spoke with an undertone voice that held no emotion.

Lucy sat up back on her feet and glared at her father. She wanted to know what and why her father had decided to...be evil. But she was confused on some parts. The agony and despair that came from her father, she wondered why her father felt them.

"And don't think that I am weak enough to be defeated by a puppet, and someone who should had already be dead." Lucy countered back with rage.

"Who should be dead?" Jellal spoke with a wide smirk, keeping his distance, enjoying the...father and daughter moment.

Lucy ignored him and stared at her father. "Father, why are you doing this?"

"I had already told you, Lucy."

Lucy shook her head. "That's your goal. An ambition. Tell me the reason why you chose to do this?"

Jude was silent for a moment, as if he was reconsidering or reveling on what to say. "It is beyond...your imagination."

Lucy had sworn that he had hesitated for a moment, but did not say anything about it. "Father. I would say that it is not too late to come back. But as things are now, I cannot overlook the fact that you are...connected to Zeref. So I will not hesitate to take you down,"

Jude laughed softly before getting to another fighting stance. "Well then, little sunshine. Do you have enough guts to do so?"

Lucy did not have enough time to speak for respond as her father whistled through the air and slammed his fists in her stomach, sending her across the room with a deadening sound of rock crumbling.

"You are my daughter. You are my blood. You are my offspring. You are my life. You are my joy. You are my everything. And I will kill you." Jude spoke, walking closer with every step and every sickening sound of shoes clacking the ground.

Lucy sat and leaned against the wall, heaving as she watched her father sauntering over to her step by step. She did not want to do it. She did not want to kill him. Her father, her blood...her last relation with her mother. She did not want to end his life.

If she did not know any better, or the dire situation in which Lucy was tasked to do, she would've run into her father's embrace. A Father's love...Lucy never had that. Unless the celestial spirits counts. Lucy did not want to rid of her last connection to which her mother was alive and had existed.

But as things are now, her father had been bounded by Zeref and must kill him. As she must with Jellal.

Maybe...just maybe if Lucy could restrain her father and make sure he doesn't use any magic...that could work...right? But she had tried that with the binding of his chains...which did not work.

When Jude got into an appropriate range, he paused and stared down on her daughter, who merely stared back at him, but with more rage and sorrow.

Jude stood there, unmoving and mute, staring straight through her daughter, as if he was regretting something,

The nerve-wracking silence between the two stretch into minutes, and unbeknownst to Jude, Lucy slowly and stealthily gathered magic to her fist after removing the ring that was passed to her by her mother. She removed the ring and immediately, but quietly gathered all of her available magic and condensed it around her fists.

Another minute passed, Lucy could now see the hesitation painted in her father's eyes. She paid it no mind as she readied herself with the powerful attack of her own and lurched forward, hoping to catch him off guard.

That didn't work.

Jude was expecting that miles away, but something had held him back to do any real damage to her daughter. Why was that? He had seen the truth. He should be ridding of her daughter so that the truth will be known and the magic can return to its proper place. So why?

When Lucy was deflected and blocked by her father, she did not relent. She gathered more and jumped at her father again, with more force that she could muster.

Jude deflected it again, and made another stream of golden chains and aimed it toward Lucy. The blonde mage deflected them in time with her enchanted arms of Carina. The deflecting blows and attacks never relented, and neither of the father or daughter was not letting down.

Lucy had a purpose. She had a reason for fighting her father. She needed to fight and defeat her father, who had ties with the wizard of darkness. Zeref.

Jude on the other hand, was hesitating. He was conflicted. He felt many emotions. Rage, anger, sorrow, sadness, pain. Jude could not fathom who it was directed to. He knew that it could not be directed to his own daughter.

The last blow that was deflected and blocked sent the father and daughter hurling backwards, left with only scratches and bruises.

Lucy stood her ground after rising to her full height again, heaving and panting with little magic and energy that she has left.

She could kill him...without any efforts. But she refused to. And she will not. Lucy had not killed anyone in her life, even during her mission. And she will not start now. Even if it was the enemy, she will not kill. The only option left is to tire out the enemy and bring the last blow and knock them out. It had worked before when Lucy had to fight some of her opponents for the keys. But this time, it did not work.

Jude was extremely fit, much to Lucy's surprise, and he was strong and observant. She could sense her father observing her, studying her. But she did not know why. He said that he was going to kill her. But he had not done that yet. So, why is Lucy's father remaining observant and pulling his punches? 'Cause his punches and hits does not hurts that much anymore.

Lucy knew that her father was hesitating. And she will use that to her advantage. But so far...nothing. Jude had not budged or even flinched from her daughter's attacks. So, she knew that her father was holding back. And she would like to know why.

Then, all of the sudden, a flash of golden light encased Lucy, sending her across the room with a sickening crash of rocks crackling and the ground caving in.

Lucy did not have enough time to react to what happened after that. After being sent across the room, her father was already there, with his fist raised and brought it down hard on Lucy, enough to break a bone.

Lucy was on the ground, facing the ground, and felt helpless. She couldn't hurt another family member. No...not her own father.

"Lucy."

Lucy refused to kill one of her own blood...or friends, or the innocents.

"Lucy."

Lucy had always believed that the innocents are those that needed to be protected from the evil that lurks in the shadows, evil that had been recruiting new people to take its place and continue its tasks: Destroy and rule the world.

A strong kick was then connected with Lucy's stomach, bringing her back to reality.

"Lucy!"

Lucy then looked up to see her father, with his eyes of many emotions that told many things. Sorrow. Rage. Anger. Sadness. Guilt. Mostly guilt. Lucy wondered why.

"Why do you hold back?" Jude asked, looking down on her daughter on the ground.

Lucy heaved herself into a sitting position and glared back at her father. "I refused...to kill you..."

A sudden disappointment flared in her father's eyes. But it disappeared the moment Lucy saw then. "That is what will kill you."

Lucy's lips quivered, knowing how much it was true. Lucy knew that it would cost her own life. But Lucy refused to kill her father.

"I'm disappointed in you, Lucy. I know that the spirits did not raise you to be just a coward." Jude muttered, almost angrily.

Lucy remained silent.

"You are weak. You cannot save anyone like this. You should just die." Jude continued angrily.

Lucy glared back, remaining mute, but rage soon boiling inside of her.

"You friends are cowards. You are a coward. You are weak. Your friends are weak. You cannot save the world."

Lucy remained unmoving and mute still, barely containing herself from unleashing hell on her father for those words.

"You mother would be disappointed in having a coward as a coward. I pity her and you."

That was the last straw. No one...NO ONE insults Lucy's mother. Not even her father could insult her. Lucy immediately flared a golden light around her fists, encased with magic and rapidly shot a beam of golden light toward her father, all in a split second, not giving Jude enough time for him to react properly to the sudden surprise attack.

The golden beam was directed to Jude's stomach, causing him to topple over and collapsed to the ground with a soft thud.

A growing panic soon welled up inside of Lucy, suddenly realizing what she had done.

"Father!" Lucy cautiously sauntered to her father and stopped at arm's reach and looked down on her father.

Jude was heaving deeply, and the marks of Zeref slowly disappeared from his body. "L-Lucy..." The man muttered, reaching out his hand for his daughter.

Lucy silently gulped, no daring to move.

"Lucy." Jude turned with pain painted across his face as he looked upon his daughter. "T-Thanks..."

Lucy scrunched her face in confusion. "...What?"

"That curse...it was controlling me." Jude heaved and spoke slowly.

Lucy suddenly understood now. Her father had been controlled...just like Lupus the Great Wolf had been controlled. How had she forgotten? Without a moment hesitation, Lucy kneeled in front of her father and took his hand into hers.

"I understand now. It wasn't your fault." Lucy whispered.

Her father smiled gently, the smile that Lucy had remembered when she did see him...she had missed those smiles that belonged to her father's.

"Lucy. I had been cursed for more...than a century after your mother's passing." Jude explained, his breath heaving deeply with each words spoken.

"The curse kept you alive? Is that why you're still here?"

As if on cue, Jude's hair started to turn to white, his skin started to develop wrinkles. His teeth decayed more and more.

Jude nodded. "Lucy. I apologize for saying all of those things. I-I...was not in complete control. But I wanted you to at least stop me...or put an end to my life. It was the only way for me to go back to where I belonged. Back to your mother. I do not belong in this generation...this is your generation now."

Jude paused for a second, squeezing the hand that was held by her daughter, "Take my magic, my spells and use them for the war. Save them from Zeref. He is planning dangerous things. You must stop him." Jude muttered before conveyancing his remaining magic into Lucy through their touch.

Lucy remained silent, tears welling in her eyes, her hands grasping onto his, gladly accepting his magic for whatever reason, and understanding what he was talking about. The things about Zeref and the curse.

"Father..." Lucy sniffed.

"Lucy. I had been in the Realm with you and your mother. But I had a different task. I cannot explain it all here. But...my time is done...My generation is done. So...the least I could do to atone for my actions...is to give you my magic. My spells. Use them in the war that will destroy Zeref."

Lucy slowly nodded, a single tear streaming down her cheek. "You planned this, didn't you?"

Jude only smiled. "You saved me. Thank you, my sweet little Lucy."

Lucy squeezed her hands, grasping harder on her father's hand. "Father...please...I'm sorry."

"Lucy. You made me proud. Your mother would be so proud of you." Jude said, almost as a whisper.

Lucy breathed deeply to control her anger for Zeref, or for Jellal who had merely stood at the sideline, just watching the fight between her and her father with a smirk. Her father had been struggling for almost a century...he did not deserved this.

"I...I love you." Lucy spoke with sorrow and despair.

Jude smiled at his daughter with the warmth that Lucy had long forgotten. "You had grown."

Lucy smiled back through her tears, but remained mute and unmoving, afraid to do anything else. A minute passed, and Lucy shook her father a little, noting how still he was.

It wasn't long till she declared her father to have finally passed. She lad finally laid him to rest.

"Well. That was interesting." A voice boomed, breaking the silence of despair.

Lucy looked up with rage and anger, something that she had not felt in years, and stared at Jellal. "You will be next."

Jellal only smirked. "You probably had already used ¾ of your magic. You may be stronger than me, but, as things are now, I can defeat you without any problems."

Lucy glared at the man as she slowly rose to her full height, glaring murderously, balling her fist tightly. She had never been so angry. She wanted to kill this man for defiling life, for bringing pain and despair to an innocent man, a man that did not need to suffer for more than a century.

Without saying anything, Lucy raised her hands and summoned those golden chains that had given her trouble last time, the magic that her father had passed down to her. She used them to distract the man and attack him with her own power.

Jellal was right. Lucy was stronger than him. But she was also low on magic and she did not care. She did care if she was low on magic and would be at a disadvantage. She didn't care. She'll fight Jellal, even with her bare hands.

Lucy violently sent the golden chains toward the man that still had a smirk on his face and bounded him tightly.

Lucy disappeared from sight by calling upon the power of Chameleon, thus becoming invisible and used the power of Antila and started to circle around Jellal at a face pace. Then she hardened her skin to iron, thanks to Carina and waited for a right moment to strike the man.

The moment Jellal had looked in one direction, Lucy lurched forward and attacked in the opposite direction and aimed for his face. Combined with speed and an ironed fist, Lucy hoped it will be enough to finish this once and for all.

The moment her fist had almost connected with Jellal's face, he disappeared, causing Lucy to punch an empty space in which Jellal had once inhabited.

Scowling with frustration, she looked around to find the tattooed man. She then head a low ominous chuckle from behind. Lucy turned to see Jellal with a wide smirk, baring his teeth.

"As much as I love to keep playing with you, I believe the time had come." Jellal started.

"What you mean?" Lucy questioned, keeping her stance for any scenario possible.

"And you and you friends had come at the perfect time." Jellal continued with elated evil happiness.

"And you will tell me what you are talking about." Lucy spoke in her sternest voice.

Jellal lowered his head and glared at the blonde with a creepy look. "The time for Zeref to come."

Lucy clenched her fists and readied herself into a fighting position, making the killing of this man her number one priority. "Not if I can help it."

"As he had said, our playtime must come to an end." Another voice was registered, a familiar voice to which Lucy detested.

Lucy turned to see Seigrain...no...Jellal's hologram. Narrowing her eyes at the hologram, she turned back to Jellal, "What are you planning?"

Jellal smirked. "A bomb had been set. It had been infused and packed with ehternio. It will have enough magic power to summon Zeref himself. It will be enough to wipe out the nearby towns."

"Summoning Zeref like this will not work."

The hologram and Jellal stood side by side and soon infused as one, and Jellal smirked even wider. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. Zeref and I will be the new ruler of the new world that we'll be creating. All magic will return to its rightful place."

"I'm serious. There is not spell to summon him." Lucy repeated.

Jellal frowned slightly. "Zeref himself had told me the process of this ceremony. This is the correct way to summon him. And this will summon him."

Lucy gave him a deadpanned look of disapproval. "A goddamned puppet." Lucy muttered to herself, seeing that Jellal was indeed brainwashed...but the question was how bad was it? Apparently, it's pretty bad in Jellal's case.

Lucy wondered who the one that brainwashed him was. There was a possibility that Zeref himself did it, but she could faintly remember aspects of him being...distant. So that was out of the window. Someone else who was a follower of the black wizard must've been responsible for the brainwashing of Jellal.

"Whatever you are planning, I will put a stop to it." Lucy intoned, getting into a fighting stance, reading herself once again.

Jellal only grinned.

Then there was a low rumble, which soon became a violent earthquake, debris floating in the air, everything becoming brighter, blinding the mages in the process.

Lucy had to cover her eyes to shield from the intensity of the light, which was becoming brighter and brighter.

She had no idea what kind of magic it was, but she could sense the powerful magic lurking, the explosive power of destruction that will destroy everything in its path. Lucy would've use her void to escape, but she was completely drained and could not do anything to escape the light.

It was too late.

Couple minutes later, with her eyes sealed shut, Lucy could still clearly sense everything. She could still feel her heartbeat, her breath, her breathing, and the ominous feeling of that man meters away.

Cautiously opening her eyes, Lucy sees that she is surrounded by bluish-green crystals. Lacrimas, as the blonde observed, they were everywhere.

Lucy turned and turned, and everywhere there was lacrimas. She was completely surrounded and Jellal only stood with a smirk.

"What is this?" Lucy demanded, wanting answers.

"This will summon and revive Zeref. The end of the world will soon be upon us." Jellal grinned, baring his teeth. "I must thank the council for this."

"Council? Your hologram? Was this the reason you were in that council?"

"Yes. And I could sense your distrust while you were in the room, Gamma Ibis. No matter. Today, you will be the sacrifice and Zeref shall rise."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, thinking how stupid he was. Zeref could not be summoned. Zeref could not be revived. Zeref had never been dead, he never been. But he soon will be 'active' when the time comes.

"Whatever." Lucy ignored the indoctrinated and looked around more closely. She could sense some magic...the similar magic from the light earlier. It only took her a couple of seconds of what would happen next.

She needed to do something fast...or the place will explode. Something that Lucy does not want to happen.

Wait.

Are the others okay? Lucy extended her magical senses and scanned the outside of this lacrima building. She sensed six mages, two of them stood unmoving and laid on the ground, as if they had been knocked out. Four of the other mages were standing and was either staring at the lacrima building or were just talking...or fighting and talking at the same time.

Lucy concluded that they were fine and unscathed by the light attack. So all she needed to worry about was finding a way to stop this lacrima from exploding...

"I would use Erza for this. But you provide a great deal of magical reserve. You will suffice, as you cannot fight anymore." Jellal grinned, walking toward Lucy slowly.

Lucy turned back to Jellal and stared down at him. "Whether it's Erza or me, I will not let you do as you please."

Jellal sneered, continuing his walk toward the blonde. "As you know, the magic condensed in these lacrimas will soon explode with the overload of magic embedded in them. That means I do not have time to keep playing with you. I would like to finish things up quickly, otherwise things will go...south."

Lucy took a step backward. Not from fear. Not from the lack of magic. But from the evil intentions that Jellal had planned. She will not let Jellal get what he wants. Not after her father suffering nearly a century because of Zeref. Not after Jellal being a follower of Zeref. Lucy will not let him get what he wants.

Lucy was about to say something else to counter him, to stall him, until there was a loud rumbling from above. Both Jellal and Lucy looked up to see something breaking through the lacrima ceiling and landing in front of Lucy with a loud crack underneath the figure.

The figure stood up and stared at the man in front of him. Lucy then could make out the white scarf and pink hair. Not too soon, the rest of the gang showed up through the ceiling and standing side by side next to Lucy.

Relief immediately washed over Lucy, seeing that she was spared the bare fight between her and Jellal. And she was not alone.

Erza turned to Lucy with concerned. "You okay?"

Lucy did not answer for a moment. "...Yes. For now."

"And it seemed that you already kicked one of their ass! Good job Luigi!" Natsu grinned, eyeing an old man lying on the ground at the sideline.

Lucy ignored Natsu's comment about the incorrect name and the praise of her killing her own father. She merely looked down on the floor with sorrow and anger in her eyes, clenching her fist tightly, and tears welling up in her eyes.

Gray immediately hit Natsu in the head. "What did you do!? You made Lucy cry! And call her by her correct name!"

Natsu glared back at Gray, "I didn't do anything!"

Erza turned to Lucy, ignoring the bickering of the boys. "Lucy. Is everything's okay?"

Lucy did not respond for a few moments before looking up at Jellal with rage. "I'll be fine."

Erza was not convinced, but she accepted it anyway and turned to face Jellal.

Jellal was nice enough to stand and let them fight amongst themselves, especially Natsu and Gray.

Lucy stood her ground, unmoving and watched as her friends, her team running forward to fight Jellal finishing her job for her. She could see that they were low on magic after their battle with the three mages outside, whoever they were.

They never relented, they fought and never relented. Natsu would get back up and charge again. Gray would get up and attack with his ice magic. Erza would rise again and summon new swords and armor to take out Jellal. Happy had stayed behind and floated behind Lucy in silence.

As the mages fought, Lucy looked around to try and find a solution to stop the impending explosion that the over-packed lacrima would deliver.

The minutes of struggle and frustration passed, and Lucy was growing desperate. As the mages fought, Lucy felt helpless. As the mages fought, Lucy felt powerless. As the mages fought, Lucy was at a loss. Lucy could not find anything to stop the explosion of the lacrima. It...seemed impossible to stop it.

She turned back to the fight and sees her team exhausted, but they were not giving up. Jellal on the other hand seemed...unfazed despite their efforts.

She needed to do something.

The ground begun to deeply tremble, and debris started to float, and the lacrimas were losing shape. Tiny and small explosions riddled the area, alerting the rest of the team.

Jellal immediately disappeared from sight in rage and frustration when he had finally taken notice of his surroundings. He had lost track of time when he was fighting the mages. He needed to complete the ceremony before all of his efforts were laid to waste.

He quickly appeared behind Lucy, and before she could properly react, Jellal slammed his fist to Lucy's throat and rammed her to the ground, keeping grip on her throat, squeezing her throat in the process.

"I will start the ceremony now. I will have no more interruptions." Jellal growled, sending numerous strong magic toward the rest of the team who remained oblivious as they observed their surroundings.

Lucy grunted and tried to pull or push herself free from Jellal's grip, but to no avail. Jellal's grip was too strong.

Jellal smirked as he slowly dragged Lucy to her feet with his grip still around her neck and activated his magic in his free hand. "Zeref. You shall be revived and become the ruler of this world." Jellal muttered.

Before Jellal could do anything else, or before Lucy could try anything to stop Jellal from doing anything, everything exploded.

Everything had exploded. Fire erupted from nowhere and engulfed both Lucy and Jellal, and the conditions of the team remains unknown and Lucy weakly struggled against the slacked grip of Jellal's.

Then in a spilt second, the grip disappeared and Lucy dropped dead onto the floor and laid there as she had no more strength to move. Her sight slowly dimming as the fire coated her in a warm embrace.

Fire was all Lucy could see, feel, and sense. Surprisingly, the fire was not burning her. It was warm.

"Princess. That was dangerous." A voice boomed into the echo of the burning fire that raged in the building.

 **A/N: Hoped you enjoyed that!**

 **Review and Comment on this chapter! I don't bite!**

 **I am a novice when it comes to writing fighting scenes. So you tell me if the fighting scenes are any good or not. Please let me know :3**

 **Toodles!~~**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This is a rewrite! Not a minor, nor a major one. But I did fixed up some aspects of the chapter.**

 **My hands slipped and created some slight drama between Lucy and Erza...oops**

 **PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one its love the most  
Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

Whilst Erza was engaged in a battle with Jellal, her old friend, the reoccurrence of uncertainty and unfamiliarity followed the redhead as she neared her old friend. The aura surrounding the blunette was unknown to Erza, and was questioning to what's the difference between now and the time she had last saw the man.

Then there's Lucy. Erza noted how different she was acting. Guilt, anger, and sadness was all that she could decipher from the eyes of the blonde.

Then the ground begun to tremble, debris started to float, tiny explosions rippled through the area, and the lacrimas were deforming and losing shape. Erza could understand and conclude that the place was going to be destroyed, and she needed to get the others and escape the explosion radius, and fast.

She turned back to face Jellal again, only to find that he was not there anymore. Before she could even look for him, a wave of magic collided against her and the boys.

Couple moments later, Erza stood back up on shaky knees and sees that the boys were knocked out...completely. Her armor must've protected her against the blast. She then turned around toward to where the wave of magic had come from, only to see Jellal having a tight grip around Lucy's neck who was flailing around weakly.

Erza was about to run and scream out to Lucy, but a sudden bright light interrupted her and begun to surround the mages, blinding them temporarily. As the light died down, Erza turned back to see Lucy now on the ground, unmoving.

In the corner of Erza's eyes, she saw Jellal leaning against the wall, gravely injured and unconscious. Before the redhead could start toward the unmoving blonde, a wave of fire appeared and quickly engulfed Lucy, and then moved to engulf Jellal.

Erza took a step backwards as the flame then started to move toward the redhead and the boys who had yet to stir. The knight questioned the nature of the fire as it neared closer to the mages.

As if sensing her thoughts, a deep voice was heard. "Do not be afraid, Knight. If you want to live, then allow me to take you to safety."

Erza took a moment to stare at the raging fire who was actually talking. "Alright..."

The talking fire then engulfed Erza and all in a split second, the fire disappeared, Erza and the boys disappeared, Lucy and Jellal disappeared, and the dead body of Jude Heartfilia disappeared.

All that was left was the sound of small explosions and debris falling and floating as they pleased.

* * *

 _Darkness._

 _That was all that had surrounded her._

 _Silence._

 _That was that she could hear._

 _The girl then stood in front of a certain building that had suddenly appeared. Fairy Tail. But the guild was not in its natural state. It was destroyed, decayed, trembled into bits and pieces of debris._

 _It was abandoned._

 _The girl walked into the uninhabited building, not mindful of the crumbling ceiling or the weakened state of the building itself._

 _Something was guiding the girl to a specific place, a place she never knew it had existed. A place that she was never meant to overpass and enter._

 _The girl felt no emotions of fear or anxiety as she followed to a certain place while being mentally directed. Down a door that led to the basement, and pass a hidden door that was locked and sealed by a powerful magic. It was already opened and gave the girl no difficulties in walking through the door._

 _The girl now stood in front of a gigantic door, and a giant emblem of Fairy Tail decorated the floor. She raised a hand and gently pushed the door, seeing that the magic was already unsealed._

 _Stepping through the set of doors, the girl walked into the room and sees two people already in there. A wizard known for destruction and the creation of demons. And a wizard known for the creation of Fairy Tail._

 _Zeref stood, towering over the limp body of the First Master, Mavis Vermillion. Zeref looked up and glared at the girl that had just walked in._

 _"The redemption of your war had failed. You are the last mage standing." Zeref smirked, stepping over the limp girl and started to walk toward the girl and activated his magic. "You should go and join your friends."_

 _The girl did not move or say anything. She had no control over her body as Zeref walked over to her. But she now felt many emotions._

 _Rage._

 _Anger._

 _Hate._

 _Sorrow._

 _Sadness._

 _Love._

 _Loneliness._

 _The girl that the girl had loved died before her eyes. She had failed her, her mission, her loyalty as a friend. She betrayed them by doing nothing. It was too late._

 _And she had never got the chance to tell her feelings for the girl she had loved._

 _The girl, a girl that once stood tall, with a stoic posture that rivaled a knight, the girl stood proud and prideful. She never let up during a fight, she fought till her dying breath. She had never betrayed her own...until the war._

 _She abandoned them. Her friends. Her family. She betrayed them, and that had cost them their lives. And now, she is the only one left standing._

 _The girl once feared for her magic and attitude. The girl once feared as a mighty wizard of Fairy Tail. Now she was reduced to a mess of betrayal and abandonment._

 _All she wanted was to stop this and see her loved ones...especially the one that she had loved, the one she had betrayed and abandoned. But she will not stop until she tries to stop Zeref herself._

 _She will try and die...and maybe that would atone for her sins_

 _The sight of Zeref unleashing her magic upon the girl was the last thing she saw before everything became black._

 _Silence ensued._

 _Darkness ensued._

 _The girl was alone again, constantly replaying her betrayal and abandonment for her friends and family...her only regret._

* * *

Erza sudden bolted straight up with alert in her eyes, instantly realizing that she was in the infirmary of her guild. She begun to scan her surrounds, see Natsu and Gray, who were glaring at each other, and she also spotted Lucy in a nearby bed, still unconscious, yet to stir.

Erza stared at Lucy some more, only to be interrupted by grumbles and shots coming from the two mages that stood at the other side of the room.

Erza rose from the bed with annoyance and approached the boys, and pushed them apart before any fight would ensue. "Knock it off!"

"Erza!?" Natsu and Gray had a shocked expression on their face for a moment before grinning.

"About time! Thought you would never wake up!" Natsu grinned.

"It's already been two days since we were mysteriously taken back to the guild." Gray explained, crossing his arms.

"Two days?" Erza raised an eyebrow at boys, who merely nodded. "Explain." She ordered, wanting some explanations.

"Well...after we were mysteriously knocked out...which I don't remember losing conscious. The last thing I remembered was that I was glaring at you for being too reckless." Gray spoke, glaring daggers at Natsu.

"Say what! You were being reckless too!" Natsu roared.

Erza and pushed them away again with force. "Stop it. Tell me what happened."

Natsu and Gray gulped before the boys begun to explain what they remembered.

"That's the thing, Erza. We don't remember. The last thing I remembered was glaring at Natsu for being an idiot, and the next thing I remembered was waking up at the guild." Gray explained.

"Yeah, same here. I really don't know anything! Please don't cut me!" Natsu whimpered, noticing a stern and disappointed look on Erza's face.

Erza sighed. She does remember the talking flame engulfing her, telling her that it would take her to safety. But how did the flame knows where she lived or what guild she was in? She turned to face Lucy, who was still in bed, and upon further inspection, she noticed bandages riddling her body. Some on her hands, her neck, and her head. Maybe some on her body, but she couldn't really tell.

Erza suspected that Lucy may know who the mysterious fire was, since it had saved her from Jellal.

Wait.

Where's Jellal?

Erza turned back to the boys, only to find them gone. Erza grown a tick, seeing that they ran away, mostly from Erza intimidating them...Erza turned back to Lucy for a moment before walking out of the room to find either Mira or Makarov.

Erza sauntered down the stairs and spotted Mira cleaning the tables. She ignored the eyes that begun to bore themselves in her, questioning her condition.

"Mira." Erza spoke once she was in her hearing range and sat on a stool and stared at the barmaid.

Mira turned around when she heard her name being called, seeing Erza sitting on a stool. "Erza! Glad to see that you are awake. You feeling well?"

Erza just grunted, not wanting to talk about her health. "What happened? How did we...end up back here?"

Mira stopped and looked up at Erza with a small frown. "I can't really say. One moment, everything was normal, then a giant fire appeared out of nowhere, and the flames literally engulfed the guild. But nothing was burnt, nobody was burnt. And the fire wasn't even that hot...it was warm to the touch. The moment it appeared, it disappeared, and you, Natsu, Gray, Lucy and two other men were suddenly in the middle of the guild."

Mira paused for a moment, looking at Erza to observe her reaction before continuing her story. "Then there was a voice. It was hard to tell if it was female or male, but it spoke, saying that it had managed to save you guys in time before an explosion killed you guys. Before we could even do anything, the council stormed in and collected the man with the tattoo and collected the dead man, and then left without any other words. Then the voice disappeared and we were left to treat you and such."

"So he's in prison." Erza muttered, hearing that Jellal was now in jail...which made her at ease. "Anything else?"

"After the council incident and the voice disappearing, we went to check on your injuries. Lucy's was the worst. It had seemed like she was being choked to death. There were bruises on her neck..." Mira frowned.

Erza could faintly remember Jellal having a grip on Lucy's neck, dangling her in the air. "But she'll live, right?"

Mira nodded. "Yes. But it had already been a two days. We were getting a little worried about you. The boys had already woke up yesterday, we were scared for a moment."

Erza sighed. "Whatever the case, we are still alive." She frowned for a moment for looking at Mira in the eyes. "Do you ever feel like Lucy is hiding something else?"

Mira stopped what she was doing and turned to Erza. "What reason do Lucy have to hide something?"

Erza had thought about. During the fight with Jellal, she had noticed something with her...guilt or something. "Maybe it has to do something with her...personal mission."

Mira hummed for a moment. "Perhaps. But Lucy has her reasons for things like this. It's not like she has a secret motives for whatever she has planned...right?"

Erza inward sighed. "You're right..." Erza paused for a moment, looking around to make sure that no one was near her to hear what she was about to say. She turned back to Mira and leaned toward her, "It's just...that...I've been having this feeling...toward Lucy."

Mira dropped whatever she was doing and leaned toward Erza with glint in her eyes and a wide grin plastered on her face. "Keep going."

Erza stared at Mira, thinking that she was the wrong person to talk about this...but it was too late, so she continued. "I think I...like Lucy...so I became really paranoid with her...mission and her goal."

Mira frowned with confusion in her eyes. "I...I'm afraid I do not understand."

Erza sighed. "Lucy has a mission, she can't afford to be in a relationship, and her mission makes me...question on some things. There's so many mysteries surrounding Lucy, like who she is, or exactly where she had come from. And -"

"Erza." Mira interrupted, realizing that Erza was rambling and was not stopping anytime soon. "I get it. You like her, and your worry too much. I do not know the full extent of this mission of Lucy's, but you should trust her. She is genuine and kind. And I do not think that she means any harm."

Erza sighed deeply and rested her head in her hands. "I trust her. But I'm afraid. I want to ask her out, but there is a greater possibility of her rejecting me."

"How can you be so sure?" Mira smirked a little.

"She told me herself. That she will not be in any relationship until this is all over."

"Then ask her out when her mission is over." Mira smiled.

Erza stood back up and stared at Mira like she was the dumbest person she had met. "Lucy's mission could take years...even she doesn't know when it will end."

Mira frowned a little. "I see. Then..." She trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

Erza gave her a knowing look, understanding that she has nothing else to say. "Don't worry about it. I going home to rest. Bye Mira."

Mira waved as Erza left to go home and sleep. Sleep. That's all she needed for the moment, though she had been asleep for 2 days, she was still exhausted. Both physically and mentally exhausted.

Right now, Lucy's prophecy scared her the most.

* * *

The next day, Erza came back to the guild, somewhat well rested. She expected to come across a quite yet rowdy guild. But instead, the members were scared, and Erza could hear murmurs of uncertainty and doubt.

Walking deeper into the guild, Mira noticed and called out to her. "Erza! Come over here!"

Erza complied and approached her. "What happened?"

"Well...It seemed that Lucy woke up, but she went into a frenzy and almost killed Natsu and Gray." Mira spoke.

Erza stood with wide eyes as she stared at Mira doubtfully. "What brought this on? Why would Lucy do this?"

Mira sighed. "When she first woke up, she was fine. She was perfectly fine and had a smile when we approached her, but she did seem sad though. And we decided to leave Natsu and Gray alone with her so they could have some friends quality time and talk about what had happened during the last mission. The next thing we knew, Lucy was angry and almost killed them. Before we could even do anything, Lucy ran away."

Erza was silent as she listened to Mira's story. "Sounds like the boys had said something to her to make her angry."

"That's what I thought. I would ask the boys, but they are unconscious right now."

Erza frowned in disappointment. "Then I will have to wake them up."

Mira blinked as Erza made her way to the infirmary. She would stop her before causing any more injuries on the boys, but she held back. She also wanted to know what happened to Lucy and what the boys had said to her. So she followed Erza and kept her distance as the knight approached the boys and grabbed them by the collar and vigorously shook them.

"Wake up! You will tell me what happened between you and Lucy!" Erza shouted and she shook the boys.

Natsu seemed to be injured the most, so he remained unmoving and mute. Gray, however was only minor in injuries and managed to stir to Erza third attempt in waking them up.

Gray groaned as Erza slapped him in the face.

"Get up you worthless ice mage!" Erza yelled with rage, her patience already worn thin.

Gray blinked and stared back at an angry Erza. "Erza? W-Where am I?" He whimpered from the intense glare that he was receiving.

"You are in the infirmary. I had only heard that Lucy had almost killed you and Natsu. So you will tell me what happened between the three of you." Erza demanded, staring at Gray with strong intensity that was not friendly at the moment.

Gray gulped nervously before speaking. "Well, when she woke up, she seemed...alert and sad. Maybe guilt? I don't know. But I knew she wasn't happy, even though she had a smile on her face...So, Natsu and I wanted to her happy. After what Natsu said, Lucy just snapped and attacked us, like she was possessed. That's all I know."

Erza narrowed her eyes. "What did Natsu say?"

Gray looked up to remember what the dragon slayer had said before looking back at the redhead. "Something about killing that dead man...or something like that?"

Erza sighed and backed away from the beds, thinking what she had just learnt. It did not make any sense. But it did make sense that Lucy held back on hurting Gray...She turned to Mira with a questioningly look. "Do you know who that dead man was?"

Mira shook her head. "There was no existing record of him being alive or anything of that matter. So it is a possibility that Lucy knows something about him."

"Alright...I'm going to look for her. Keep these two in check." Erza ordered, walking out of the room and left the guild.

Now, she just needed to find Lucy.

* * *

She was not fond of hide and seek, but she never knew it would be this difficult to find a single mage. By the time Erza had found Lucy, the sun was almost kissing the horizon, and the stars slowly blinked into existence.

Erza found Lucy in the graveyard, which was the last place she expected anyone to be, but she gave it a shot, and apparently she was there. _Go figure._

Erza made no sudden movements as she slowly approached her, taking baby steps toward to blonde.

As she got closer to the blonde, she could silently hear muffled cries and an almost invisible tremble from the blonde, if Erza was not observant.

Lucy was sitting in front of a certain grave, a lone grave, surrounded by beautiful black fence. A barrier meant to keep people out, but Lucy had stepped over and was sitting directly in front of the grave, hugging herself as she cried.

Erza now stood on the outside of the fence, the barrier that now stood in between her and Lucy, with her back to her.

She did not say anything at the moment, as she was speechless and unsure. For what she knew, the grave that Lucy was standing in front of was one of the founders of Fairy Tail. So she was confused.

Couple of seconds stretched into minutes and Erza had not said anything. The only thing that could be heard was the sound Erza's own heartbeat and Lucy's quite sniffles.

Then Lucy decided to speak, but remained unmoving. "What do you want, Erza?"

Erza jumped in surprised, not expecting Lucy to say anything. "Oh...I-I...wanted to see if you were...alright..."

Lucy was silence for a moment for speaking again. "I'll be fine. I just want to be alone for now."

"I can't do that...I want you tell me what's wrong." Erza spoke, wanting to help Lucy in any way she could. "And...I also want to know why you decided to attack Natsu and Gray.

"I'll talk about it later. I just want to be alone for now."

Erza did not move. "I just want to help you, Lucy."

With a deep annoyed sighed, Lucy stood up and faced Erza fully with an annoyed expression. Erza recoiled slightly, seeing the dried tears on Lucy's cheeks.

She held herself from tugging the blonde into her arms to reassure that she will be alright. "Lucy. Tell me, I can help you." Erza spoke in her most soothing voice.

Lucy smiled gently. "Perhaps. But nothing can ever undo what had happened. And I know you understand that too."

"I do."

Lucy stepped over the fence and turned back to the grave. "This is my mother. One of the founders of Fairy Tail."

Erza did not say anything or move. But she was impressed, though it does seem...doubtful and unrealistic. But she does remember Lucy's story about her coming from the past, more than 400 years ago...but Fairy Tail was created 100 years ago... so there was some confusions. But Erza trusted Lucy, even with her mission.

Lucy then turned to Erza with a sad expression. "Then my father..."

Erza turned to face her, listening to what she as to say.

"That dead man from the last mission. That was my father."

Erza's eyes widened at her confession. "Your father? He's...been alive?"

Lucy chuckled weakly and turned back to the grave. "It seemed unreal to me at the time and didn't want to believe it. I soon learned that he was being controlled by the curse...the same curse that my Lupus key was cursed with. That curse had kept him alive..."

Erza couldn't control herself anymore. She grabbed Lucy and held her in her arms, seeing how emotionally distraught the blonde was. Lucy didn't need to suffer, already having to deal with the burden of the world on her shoulders.

"I killed him." Lucy muttered, leaning deeper into the knight, not caring about anything at the moment.

Erza was surprised, but she did not say anything. She tightened her hold, indicating that she'll never let go, both figurative and literary.

"For a long time...for more than 100 years, he had suffered. He basically...had me kill him. He said nasty things, insulted you and the others, just to have me kill him." Lucy rambled, wrapping her arms around Erza.

Erza was definitely unsure on what to say.

"I swore that I would never kill. But...I had killed my own father."

Erza started to rub Lucy's back to soothe her, unable to voice anything, afraid that her voice would betray her. She glanced at the grave that supposedly belonged to Lucy's mother.

For a split second, she swore she was a faint shimmer of a figure, a middle-aged woman that looked so much like Lucy, so transparent and had a gentle smile. It hovered over the grave, and smiled directly at Erza.

Erza couple of times and looked back, only to see that no one was there. A ghost? Or was it just her imagination?

A sudden violent shift moved in Erza's arm, where Lucy started to cry again. Erza snapped herself out of her reverie and pushed Lucy away gently so she could see her face, and her tears falling down.

"There's no reason to cry. Your father had suffered for 100 years. You saved him. He should be happy." Erza tried, she really tried.

Lucy shook her head. "That's not the problem, Erza." She said, wiping away the tears as she stepped away, thinking she had done enough, which made Erza miss the contact. "I...just never knew what it's like to have a father. My father was always distant and absence. The most I got out of him was a simple smile and that was it. No hugs, no...interactions with him. Nothing. After I had come back from the Realm, I had assumed him...to be dead, considering how my mother had died as well. Then I find him at that place. I was happy to see him. But I was confused. Unsure."

Erza stood in place, staring at Lucy for a moment, not daring to say a word.

"Then I landed a final blow on him. He muttered the words that I had longed to hear when I was little. A gentle smile that I had forgotten. Father gave me all of them before he passed. I became so angry at the people responsible for making him suffer." Lucy paused for a minute, before looking at Erza in the eyes. "For a split-second, I wanted to kill your friend."

Erza understood all too well on what she's feeling.

Lucy sighed and looked down, facing her mother's grave. "Yes. I killed my father, but I had laid him to rest. I realized that's what he wanted. So I won't dwell on that fact that I had killed him. He's in a better place now."

"Lucy."

Lucy looked back to see Erza with a soft smile.

"I'm sure your father was very proud of you. And I'm positive that he would want you to move on."

"Thank you Erza." Lucy smiled back and gave Erza a quick hug. She then pulled back, but was then tugged back into Erza by powerful arms, keeping her in place.

Erza didn't want to let her go, she wanted to keep her in her arms forever. It felt so natural and perfect to have her in her arms. She was unsure if Lucy could feel or hear the racing heart that rammed against her armored chest.

"...Erza?" Lucy spoke, wondering why Erza was not letting go.

Panicking, Erza tried to find a reason or a lie for doing what she just did. "Shh...it's okay Lucy. Nothing will ever hurt you anymore. You are completely safe." After Erza said, that, she mentally scolded herself. That was supposed to be the words for someone waking from a nightmare!

Lucy frowned and blinked confusingly. "What are you talking about?"

Erza silently gulped. "You're broken...and I will help you." Erza mentally hit herself after saying that. She needed to keep her damn mouth shut.

Lucy pushed herself away and glared at Erza. "Well, thank you very much, Erza. I am completely fine on taking care of myself."

"I didn't mean that...I...mean..." Erza did not have enough time to explain herself as Lucy walked into her void and disappeared from sight.

"Great job, Erza. You really helped her." Erza muttered angrily at herself. "Now Lucy really hates you."

Sighing, she turned back to face the grave that supposedly belonged to Lucy's mother. "How can I win a heart that carries so much burden?" Erza asked, half expecting to receive an answer, and not at all.

Silence ensued after couple of minutes, and Erza decided to walk back to the guild in defeat, thinking how much she had messed up.

* * *

Walking back to the guild, Erza hated herself more with each step, thinking how she had hurt Lucy. She was just nervous by being next to her. She undoubtedly knows that she's undeniably in love with that blonde. Her mouth had slipped and said some things that was not meant to be said.

She wanted to apologize to Lucy for that.

Walking pass the guild doors, she was greeted with Natsu and Gray standing with a grin.

"'Bout time, Erza!" Gray smirked.

"Erza. Let's fight!" Natsu roared, thinking that the fight at the last mission was not enough for him.

"How are you standing? What about your injuries?" Erza asked, ignoring Natsu's declaration.

"Lucy healed us not too long ago. But she left as soon as she was finished. She still looked pretty angry." Gray answered.

"If she was still angry at us, then why did she apologize?" Natsu wondered as he scratched his head with a frown.

Erza did not dare to say it. And she knew that Lucy was still angry with her. How could she make it up with her? She wanted to be on her good side...and smile with her, and hug her, and hold hands with her, and cuddle with her, and possibly kis-

Erza mentally slapped herself, ridding herself of the thoughts of Lucy, and headed for the bar. She sat on one of the stool and faced Mira. "Strawberry milkshake please."

Mira complied and went to whip her up some strawberry milkshake for the redhead.

After her milkshake was done, Mira placed the drink in front of Erza, and soon realizing that Erza was not happy.

"Is everything okay?" Mira asked.

Erza sighed as she took the drink and sipped on it. "I made Lucy mad...and I think she hates me."

"Why would Lucy hate you?"

"I accidently said some stuff, which had hurt Lucy. She was offended and left without any other words."

"What did you say?" Mira inquired.

"That dead man that appeared with us, that was Lucy's father."

Mira's eyes widened at the new fact.

"Lucy attacked Natsu and Gray because they were insulting him, not knowing who he really was. Then I came to talk to her, I freaked out and accidently called her broken."

Mira was surprised to hear this as her eyes widened some more. "What made you...accidently slipped?"

Erza glared at Mira. "You already know. I was so nervous, and I was hugging her to boot, which made me even more nervous!"

Mira understood now. "So what will you do now?"

Erza sighed and rested her head on the table. "I want to make it up to her, but I don't know what."

Mira stroked her chin as she thought up an idea before a light bulb appeared over her head. "I'm sure Lucy's father is still at the morgue."

Erza sat up, looking at Mira curiously to what she was saying.

Mira leaned forward and whispered her plan into Erza's ears, to which Erza nodded slowly, already thinking that the plan will be a success.

She stood from her stool and ran out of the guild, ignoring her unfinished drink. Mira smiled, thinking how much the redhead loved Lucy if she was willing to put aside her favorite drink for the blonde.

Mira can only hope that everything will go well, and Lucy can forgive Erza.

* * *

Lucy sat on top of the giant church that overlooked most of the town. It was a beautiful sight, and Lucy enjoyed watching small specs of people walking and milling about in the streets.

If Lucy was in a good mood, she would have a smile and looking at the horizon. But she was in a bad mood. She wouldn't say that she was angry or hate Erza when she had said those words. If anything, Lucy noticed how...nervous she seemed.

But for now, Lucy wants to be alone and enjoy the silence and stare off into the distance.

"Enjoying yourself there?"

Lucy internally groaned before turning to see Mavis behind her with a small smile. "Hey..."

Mavis moved and sat next to Lucy. "Something's troubling you?"

Lucy sighed. "Well...I met my father in my last mission."

"Jude?"

Lucy nodded. "He was cursed...and that had kept him alive...until I...destroyed the curse.

Mavis stared at Mavis for a moment before turning and staring at the horizon. "So you killed him?"

"..."

Mavis took the silence as a yes. "It wasn't your fault."

Lucy sighed. "I know. The only thing I can do is stop Zeref and win the war to honor my parents."

Mavis smiled. "Your parents would be very proud of you right now. While I had known your mother, she had told me many stories about you. Her pride, her expectations, her only reason for living. Your mother did not expect you to do anything perfect. All she wants for you is win the war and come out of it alive."

Lucy turned to face Mavis. "What about my father?"

Mavis frowned for a moment. "I only met him once...then he disappeared one day. Nobody really knows what happened to him. Your mother was clearly worried and had searched for him. But she never found him." Mavis paused for a second. "If it wasn't for the safety of you for the future, your mother would already have a meltdown and give up on her own personal mission. But she didn't. She kept moving forward, the sake of your health and making sure that you could survive the war."

A single tear streaked down Lucy's cheek as she listened.

"Your mother loved you very much and had wished to see you again." Mavis continued.

More tears streamed down once again. Not of sorrow. Not of sadness. Not of loneliness. But the understanding of all of those emotions, and happiness overpowering them with the memories of her mother smiling down on her...her only last memory of her.

"Lucy." Mavis stated, causing the blonde to turn to the ghost. "Let others bear your burden."

Lucy kept silent for a moment, before remembering what Jellal and her father...and Lupus and said about a secret power that Lucy supposedly have. "Mavis. You know very well I cannot do that. Plus, there are some things you haven't told me."

"Perhaps. But it isn't time yet." Mavis responded.

Lucy sighed, thinking how hard it is to get through this ghost. "What is this secret power I have? I'm sure you know that I had almost died at the last mission. So tell me, what is this secret power?"

"The reason why you had almost died is because you lacked something. You were pulling your punches. Plus, you aren't even ready for it."

"I pull my punches all the time, stop dodging the damn question and tell me what's this secret power is, whether I am ready or not!" Lucy raised her voice, clearly frustrated with the ghost.

Mavis looked at Lucy knowingly. "I was told to only teach you to master it when a myth becomes the truth."

"Are you referring to the prophecy?" Lucy asked with an annoyed look painted on her face.

Mavis nodded. "However, this myth is something I do not know was well. So we need to at least wait till the time is right."

"...Can you at least tell me what this secret power is?"

Mavis shook her head. "I am not at that liberty to tell you."

"Because my mother said to wait till the time is right." Lucy muttered and turned and stared at the now dark horizon. "God talk, good talk."

"Everything happens for a reason. You should find a reason for why your father was cursed for a long time. You should find a reason for that other man, Jellal to be brainwashed. There is always a reason. And you should know that."

Lucy chuckled to herself before facing the ghost. "Being lectured by a ghost... But, yeah...there is a reason for this...but that's the hard part. I don't know why. So...I'm afraid that I'm running around in circles, chasing a duck that will never be caught."

"That's a good way to put it. But I can tell you this." Mavis said, looking at Lucy dead in the eyes. "And I'm sure you already know, but anyone that does dark magic, or are in a dark guild have a higher possibility of being connected to Zeref and has the answers that you are looking for."

Lucy slowly nodded. "That makes sense..."

"LUCY!" A loud feminine voice screamed into the dead of night from down below.

Both Lucy and Mavis looked down from the roof of the church to see Erza running through the streets, apparently looking for Lucy.

Mavis turned to Lucy with a smile. "You should unleash your burden and share it with that girl. I know for a fact that she will help you 100%"

Lucy turned to her with a questioning look. "What makes you so sure?"

Mavis's only response was disappearing into thin air with a smile, leaving Lucy by herself.

Lucy would love to give the ghost a little punch on the arms or something for being so hard to understand. A mysterious ghost that knows so much, but won't share them.

"LUCY!"

Lucy turned back to the streets, seeing Erza punching a guy for not telling her where she was. Guess she would need to show herself before Erza makes too much damage...to the town and its people.

Lucy jumped from the roof and landed on the ground and leisurely made her way to where Erza was last seen.

Another block or so, four men laid ground, unconscious with a big red bump on their heads. And Erza was holding the fifth man by his collar.

"Erza!" Lucy called out, before Erza could punch the man for the lack of answers.

Erza turned and let go of the man once she sees that it was Lucy. "There you are. I've been looking for you." The redhead said with a smile.

Lucy sweatdropped as she eyes the four unconscious men on the ground. "I could tell..."

"I have something to show you. Come with me." Erza grabbed Lucy's hand and dragged her through the streets and headed for the graveyard, which made Lucy confused for moment.

Erza passed through the entrance of the graveyard and stopped and turned to Lucy. "Lucy...I want to say I'm sorry for what I had said. My words slipped and it was an accident. I never meant to offend you."

Lucy smiled. "Its fine, Erza. I'll forgive you. I had noticed that you were nervous back there. Can I ask why?"

Erza silently gulped at that question. "That's not important right now. Right now, I want to show you something."

Before Lucy could even ask what, she was tugged by Erza again and was dragged to a familiar place. The grave of her mother's was no longer alone.

"I took the liberty of adding the grave for your father next to your mother. Now they are together for forever." Erza explained with a nervous smile, hopping that it would help Lucy to not be angry at her.

Lucy covered her mouth with her hands, tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of what was in front of her. She then wrapped her arms around Erza.

"Thank you so much, Erza!"

Erza returned the hug and held the blonde gently. "I'm really am sorry."

"I was never really angry at you, so please stop apologizing." Lucy mumbled into Erza's warmth.

They pulled away, to which Erza instantly missed the touch, still wanting to hug Lucy.

"By the why, how did we get back. I don't remember anything." Lucy pointed out.

"Oh! I almost forgot to ask you that. Apparently, this...tame talking fire had come to your rescue and saved you and us, as well as your father and Jellal. Jellal is in jail right now, as I am told."

"Fire? It wasn't Natsu?" Lucy frowned.

Erza shook her head. "Natsu was knocked out, along with Gray. Plus the fire was talking...but it still saved us and brought us back to the guild."

Lucy sighed in deep thinking trying to remember...only to remember a flash of golden light engulfing her while being strangled by Jellal. "I really don't know..."

"Well, we're still alive, right? So that's good."

Lucy smiled. "Yes."

Erza glanced at Lucy sideways for a moment, wondering if she should confess or not. Maybe later when Lucy's feeling well...yeah. Maybe next week.

* * *

Mavis stood atop the roof the church, watching Erza and Lucy talk in the graveyard with a smile. "If only Lucy would let other people in and have them help." Mavis muttered.

As stubborn as Lucy was, she would never want to risk her friends, and put them in danger. Mavis swore that Lucy would have that last mission be the last mission she would bring her friends with her. She had a feeling that what Lucy was feeling.

"One should never fight alone. That's why the chosen five are here to help. Three of them are already here. You just need to look." Mavis intoned, now watching as the young mages made their way back to the guild side by side.

 **A/N: What you think of the drama between Lucy and Erza. Was it cute? Fluffy? Did you like? (I personally loved it) Please let me know what you think! ^^**

 **Review and comment on your thoughts! I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This is an special chapter, a foreshadow for my future chapters.**

 **Warning though, a lot of angst in this little short chapter (and may be a little too dark, I tend to write dark poems 3.3) So you've been warned. ^^**

 _PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the ones its love the most  
Once friends, now enemy, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet_

 **I had no help what so ever in the makings of this 'poem' as I like to call it. Especially the quote below. So, please respect this and enjoy...Please enjoy?**

 **"A heart so kind and lonely carries the most burden." (Quote made by KaixinPhoenix (ME))**

The girl stands amidst the battle of her redemption, her loyalty.

The girl fights for her assumptions of her friends, her devotion.

The girl smiles for the revitalization of the unknown, her last stand.

The girl hides beyond the wicked shadows of betrayal, her sanctuary.

The girl loves for the purest souls that they are, her regret.

Surrounded by color of white, she is hidden beyond the mask of its shadows. With one goal, the goal that was destined, she must keep moving.

She was to do as she was told. She was to do as she was asked. She was told to fight. She was told to trust. She was told to believe. She was told to find. She was told to take any chances available. She was told to fight without emotions.

The girl adulates and respects her friends. They had trusted her, as she had trusted them.

Betrayal was the last thing the girl wanted. Hatred was the last thing the girl needed. Tears was the last thing the girl wanted to see. Anger was the last thing the girl wanted to confront.

The girl had no choice. The girl had no choice but to destroy the ones they loved the most. The ones they had held dear. She destroyed it all, and she expected no forgiveness from them.

The girl loved them, but she didn't want their forgiveness, she didn't need them. As long as they were still alive, then the girl will do anything to keep it that way, even with the most wicked ways.

"I'm sorry."

 **A/N: As I had said, this is a foreshadow for my future chapters**.

 **Please review and comment on what you think about this foreshadowing. Is it too dark? Too revealing? Mysterious? Is it lacking anything? Is it stupid? Is it unnecessary? Is it good?**

 **I need to know so I can fix it...immediately. Don't be afraid to tell me, PM me if you want to, I don't bite :3**

 **I love ya'll to much~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: This is a rewrite!**

 **P** **ROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it**  
 **The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doo for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the ones it loved the most  
Once friends, now enemy, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

Lucy was growing more disconcerted by the day, more perturbed as she keep coming to an realization that she had yet to collect all 88 celestial keys. She just needed four more keys. Three Transcendents and a Zodiac key. There are out there somewhere, and it was making Lucy more stressed.

Finding, locating, and obtaining the other keys had been easy, as it was easy to pin point them through their owners, in the stores, and as a fallen. But a curse fallen is a different story. Lucy couldn't even sense Lupus, who was a cursed fallen, assumingly cursed by Zeref.

Her fight with Lupus had been one of the hardest fights for her, besides her fight with her father. Lupus was a spirit, a spirit with feelings and a spirit that could feel. She could sense anger and sorrow from the spirit. The inconceivable apprehension of the unknown, not knowing the reason, or how it had happened. It honestly scares Lucy to death,

Lucy was afraid.

* * *

Lucy was now mounted in place as she stood in front of Makarov after being summoned by him. She was speculating on what she would be needed while she was busy on trying to find the last remaining keys.

"How may I help you?" Lucy asked in her proper manner.

"I understand that you have this mission of yours, but I want to ask you about something important, if you have the time of course." Makarov looked at Lucy sternly.

Lucy stared at Makarov questioningly, quietly gesturing him to continue.

"I'll be hosting the S-Class promotion trials in a few weeks, and I had chosen you to be one of the candidates."

"S-Class trials?" Lucy perked up.

"Right now, you are just a regular mage. But as an S-Class mage, you have the ability to take on dangerous jobs and such."

"I see. And you are wondering if I have the time to do this?"

Makarov nodded.

Lucy sighed. The offer was tempting and sounded nice, but she couldn't really afford it at the time. "I really appreciate the offer, but I would recommend you asking someone else instead of me."

Makarov only smiled. "Being an S-Class mage means that there may be some missions with connections with Zeref or for your keys. Are you sure you would like to decline?"

Lucy smiled back apologetically. "I can always ask Erza to help me with those, as she is an S-Class mage. Right now, becoming an S-Class mage is the last thing I need to focus on. Maybe I'll compete when my mission and the prophecy is over."

Makarov nodded in understanding. "Alright. I'll hold on to that, then."

"Will that be all then?"

Makarov shook his head. "That was all I wanted to talk about"

"Thanks for understanding." Lucy smiled as she walked out of the office.

Lucy felt a little guilty for declining, though it had held numerous tempting offers that it had offered, but Lucy couldn't really waste her time on a trial when she should be focusing on her mission and finding any connections between her prophecy and Zeref, as well as her remaining keys.

Lucy silently walked back down stairs and sat at the bar where Erza was sitting at, and ordered some strawberry milkshake from Mira.

While she waited for her order, Lucy rested her head on the table and closed her eyes to rest temporarily.

Couple seconds in, a slight nudge was felt on Lucy's shoulder, followed by a faint voice. "Lucy."

Reluctantly, Lucy opened her eyes and sees that Erza was trying to grab her attention.

"Yes, Erza?"

For a slight moment, Erza hesitated. "I want to tell you something, and it's important."

Lucy lifted herself from the table and galnced at Erza, curious to what she has to say. "What is it?"

Before Erza could say anything else, Mira had placed the drink Lucy ordered in front of her. Erza stared at Mira for a moment before turning to Lucy. "We can talk later, after you're finished drinking." Erza didn't really want Mira to listening in on their conservation. She had learned that the hard way...She didn't want Mira to eavesdrop and gossip it to others.

Lucy studied Erza for a moment before shrugging and begun to sip on her drink.

Silence was, for once, present in guild. And by silence, there was no fights between a certain dragon slayer and an ice mage. Instead, numerous members were situating themselves with countless missions, and Lucy could guess why.

Of course, she knew that Erza didn't need to worry about it, or be concerned with it...unless Makarov has other plans for the current S-Class mages.

Halfway through her milkshake, Lucy turned around look at the current state of affair that the guild is in. Natsu had just came back and quickly taken another job. Gray did the same, surprisingly with his clothes on. Levy and her team was going on missions together more than often as they should, the Thunder Legion was just lounging around, not really caring for the trials. Cana was not even bothering drinking, as she was too busy trying to get some missions done one after another.

"Lucy. Are you done, yet?"

Lucy turned to Erza, who was fidgeting under her seat. She noted how the redhead was nervous and tensed. She quickly looked at her drink and decided that she had enough.

"Yeah, sure. So what is it?" Lucy smiled to reassure and liberate the tension surrounding Erza.

Erza then stood up to her feet and forcibly tugged Lucy with her, dragging her out of the guild. Stumbling, Lucy forced herself to balance herself from the tugging and followed Erza out of the guild.

After couple of blocks from the guild, Erza was still walking, dragging Lucy behind her, mostly to keep her embarrassment for the time to come. The inevitable occurrence of letting the object of your affection know your true and real feelings, which truly takes the most from you, and Erza was already breaking from just thinking about it.

Lucy soon noticed how they were still walking and couldn't think of a final destination that Erza wanted to take her to. "Erza? Is everything okay?"

Erza suddenly halted, as if Lucy's voice brought her back to reality. She hastily turned to face Lucy with a frantic look.

"Erza? What's going on?" Lucy was concerned for Erza's behavior, and couldn't really pinpoint what was wrong.

"I...Well...you know that the S-Class trials is coming up, right?" Erza was now avoiding her goal, why was that? If only Lucy knew what kind of effect she as on the redhead.

"Yes. Makarov spoke to me about that." Lucy frowned.

Erza nodded, trying to nod her blush away, but to no avail. "Well...there is a chance that Master will choose you."

Lucy blinked. "He actually told me that he had nominated me to become one. But I declined."

Erza stared at Lucy, forgetting about her blush, and forgetting about the fact that she was about to confess. "You declined? Why?"

Lucy sighed. "I can always do the trials after this mission. For now, I want to focus on my mission."

Erza almost looked disappointed. She wanted to on dangerous jobs with Lucy, which means she could be alone with her... "I understand."

"Now, tell me, why did you drag me out here? We are at the edge of town." Lucy commented, noting their surroundings.

Erza looked around for the first time, now registering the fact that she had been dragging Lucy across town and not even realizing it. She turned back to Lucy, who had a blank face, but with concerned eyes. Erza was definitely a mess.

"Ah...well...A-Actually that can wait for a little while longer."

Before Lucy could even tell her what she meant or anything in general, the last thing she saw was a strand of red hair cowering behind a building, leaving Lucy alone in the silence.

"Well...okay then..." Lucy frowned as she eyed the last place Erza was seen. She could say that she was concerned for the redhead, but she was also confused about her behavior. "I wonder what that was about."

Lucy slowly made her way back to the guild, trying to find some sort of plausible answers that had made for Erza's weird behavior, only to come up with nothing.

Entering her guild again, she noted how all of the members were converged in one spot, looking at a figure on the second figure, to who she recognized as Makarov. Without even taking a step into the guild, there was a loud cheer and everyone was either shouting with elated cheers or muttering words of disappointment.

Walking deeper into the guild, she looked around to find Erza, only to see that she was not present. She sauntered to Mira, who was behind the bar, cleaning the ongoing dishes of cups and plates.

"Mira." Lucy called out, hoping that she was not interrupting the barmaid or anything.

Mira looked up and smiled and dropped whatever she was doing and approached Lucy with a wide grin. "Hello, Lucy!"

Luc returned the smile and sat on a stool. "Has...Erza been acting weird to you?"

"Erza? Weird? How so?" Mira knew what Lucy was talking about, but she played innocent, and smiled innocently at the blonde.

Lucy sighed and tapped on the table. "Erza was going to say something to me...but...I don't know. She just decided to say it another time. She seemed really troubled."

"I'm sure it isn't nothing."

"But what if Erza's in trouble!?" Lucy exclaimed.

Mira smiled. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I have a feeling that you know something."

Mira cocked her head to the side innocently. "What do you mean?"

Lucy sighed. "Nothing, forget it."

Lucy rested her head on the table and closed her eyes, already getting a migraine.

"When Erza's ready, I'm sure she will tell you." Mira said as she trailed off to finish her task of cleaning the dishes.

* * *

In the last few weeks in the guild, the chosen candidates had been training with fury and did not relent before the big day. Natsu and Gray was probably the only 2 chosen candidates that was training with their full power, and shouting nonsense as they trained. The other chosen members chose to train diligently and carefully, not wanting to push themselves before the trials began.

Lucy had just came back from a more recent mission, to which claimed to concur a faint relationship with Zeref and a dark guild. Lucy took upon the mission and confronted the guild, only to be disappointed and frustrated. Just another dark guild that practiced the illegal practices of assassinations and murders. It did not take the blonde long to take out the guild and arrest the occupants.

Lucy stalked to the bar and slumped onto the stool, blocking out the ringing sound of members shouting in the guild.

"Hello, Lucy. How was your mission?" Mira asked as she walked up to Lucy, seeing that she had just came back.

Lucy sighed heavily and rested her head on her arms as she leaned on the table. "It was another mislead. But I still completed it."

"That's good." Mira smiled.

Lucy stared at Mira for a moment before closing her eyes. "Erza had still been acting weird around me when she had been trying to say something."

"For her, it is the hardest thing for her to say." Mira said, not realizing what she had just said.

Lucy straightened herself and stared at Mira. "If you know anything, then tell me. I feel like Erza is in trouble but she won't tell me anything."

Mira only smiled. "All in due time, Lucy. Erza is just...struggling with something that she wants to tell you."

Lucy huffed. "Fine."

Mira gave the blonde an apologetic smile before leaving to resume with her job.

Lucy watched as Mira left to finish her task. She silently muttered words of curses as she continued to watch Mira do her job.

Lucy could say that she was angry and frustrated. First, Mavis, that damn ghost, refuses to tell Lucy anything about her powers or anything connected to it. Now Mira was hiding something from her, something that Lucy was really concerned with.

Lucy had it with these mysteries and the reluctance of revealing the truth that she needed to know. She had it with chasing something that doesn't exist every single time she went on a mission.

"Lucy!" A deep voice reached Lucy's ear as the owner approached the blonde at a fast pace.

Lucy inwardly sighed as she turned to see Natsu running toward her. "What is it, Natsu?"

When Natsu was inches away, he grinned and alighted his fists on fire. "Fight me! I want to see how strong I had gotten these past weeks!"

Lucy gave the dragon slayer a knowing look. "Ask someone else to fight you."

"No! It has to be you!"

Lucy sighed. "I will not fight a friend, even as a friendly match. Fight Gray or something."

Natsu paused for a moment, blinking as a realization came to him. "I forgot about that stripper." In a split second, he started to look around, now and definitely eager to fight the ice mage.

Spotting the ice mage across the guild. Natsu left a trail of fire behind as he ran toward his rival as a fast speed and started to fight him to an intensity of a 1,000 suns.

Lucy sighed again and continued to sit in her chair, and watched with amusement while Natsu and Gray begun to go all out, sending members and furnitures across the guild.

The chaos of members and furniture throwing lasted for another 10 minutes until there was a loud blast from the entrance.

Erza stood at the entrance and stalked to the site of the brawl and started to beat the up one by one until Gray and Natsu was left. The redhead then pulled them apart and gave them a death glare, which caused the boys to immediately cower and halt their activities.

"Tomorrow we are leaving for the trial, so why are you wasting your energy on a worthless fight?" Erza demanded an answer from one of the boys.

"I wanted to test how strong I had gotten!" Natsu declared.

"And Natsu pounced on me all the sudden!" Gray complained.

"That's because Lucy wouldn't fight me!" Natsu retorted.

"Not my pro-"

"ENOUGH!" Erza punched them in the guts, causing the boys to fall unconscious. "Idiots."

Erza sighed to calm her anger and started to look around, looking for a certain person. Finding her, the redhead made her way toward the bar and stopped in front of Lucy.

"Yes, Erza?" Lucy smiled, thinking that this was a first in weeks that Erza had actually came up to her.

"As you know we are leaving tomorrow. Can I ask that you be there when we leave?" Erza asked.

"Huh?"

"L-Like...a farewell until we come back. Plus I have something else that I want to tell you." Erza stuttered from embarrassment.

"Sure. I'll be sure to see ya'll off." Lucy smiled.

Erza smiled back and did and 180 and left hurriedly.

Lucy watched Erza leave the guild in a hurry, and wondered what she wanted to talk about before she leaves.

* * *

Erza stood at the docks, and everyone else was already boarding the ship. She still had not talked to Lucy, nor had she showed up yet.

She had planned on telling Lucy before she left, so she could give the blonde enough time to consider. She wanted to at least try to convey her feelings, even slightly. It had been hard for her the last couple weeks. She couldn't face Lucy without blushing or stuttering and knew that Lucy was sensing that something was wrong.

"Erza."

Erza needed this release to let it all out and tell Lucy...Tell Lucy her feelings and accept the inevitable answer that she knew that she would receive.

"Erza?"

A tap was registered on Erza's shoulder as a voice was also registered simultaneously, causing Erza to turn around to see Lucy behind her with a small smile.

"Lucy! You're here!"

Lucy gave a small chuckle. "Yeah. Sorry if I was late. So, what is you wanted to talk about?"

Erza took a deep breath stared at Lucy for a moment. "I...need to confess something."

"I'm listening."

"I like someone." Erza said quickly.

"Really? Who?" Lucy cocked her head to the side questioningly.

Erza silently gulped and stepped forward, eliminating any distance between her and Lucy. "I like you."

Lucy stared at Erza for a moment. "Me?"

"I know that you said that you were not interested in a relationship because of your mission. But you had also said that your prophecy may not even be a romantic relationship and that I should risk it. So I wanted to tell you my feelings. You don't have to give me an answer right away of course...you can give me an appropriate answer when we come back." Erza rambled nervously.

Lucy was honestly surprised to hear and confession from Erza, or from anybody in general, so she didn't really think about what she would have to say. But hearing Erza ramble made her to really think about where they stand and how the blonde should answer.

Then Erza closed the distance and quickly gave Lucy a peck on the lips before running to the ship. "Please give me you answer when we come back!"

Lucy stood rigid as Erza cowered to the ship, and stayed unmoving as the ship disappeared across the horizon.

After couple of minutes, Lucy moved to touch her lips, to which Erza's touch still lingered.

"So she finally made a move, huh?" A registered voice from behind snapped Lucy out of her trance.

She tuned to see Jet, Droy, Macao, Wakaba, Bisca, Alack, Laki, Reeuds, Nab, and Romeo grinning at her.

"What you mean?"

"We all could tell how much Erza likes you. I was wondering when she would make the move." Wakaba grinned.

"I think you two would look great together!" Romeo exclaimed with a big grin.

"Erza really...likes me?" Lucy asked.

They all just grinned at her, the silence and their expression answering for her. Lucy lightly chuckled before walking back the guild.

Lucy will have to think hard on what her answer will be for the redhead, Erza deserves an honest answer if she really did...like her.

* * *

It had been 2 days since they had set off, and Lucy was still struggling with an appropriate answer for the redhead, as it was proving difficulties for the blonde to think rationally. Why was it hard to rationalize an appropriate answer?

Lucy had just finished a job and was now heading toward to her client to report and collect the reward. The job itself was to eliminate (arrest) a group mages that had been terrorizing a certain popular road that most people usually took. Lucy decided to take the job because it had mention mages who possessed dark magic, so she did not hesitate to take the job and find some answers. As per usual, it was misleading, and turned how to be rouge mages wannabes.

On her way back to her client, she could hear some whispers coming from some bystanders and people walking by. Normally, the whispers of other people don't really alert Lucy as much, as they are fully of personal conservations and worthless, non-important conservations.

However, Lucy could make out some important keywords amongst their conservations. The four words that had made Lucy pale was: Fairy Tail...island...destroyed

Lucy started to powerwalk to her client to quickly inform and collect her rewards and leave.

Stumbling to her client, Lucy gently yet hastily opened the door and approached the aforementioned client. "The mission is done."

The client stood and gave her a small smile. "I had heard the news. I am deeply sorry."

Lucy forced herself to swallow her deepest fears. "May I ask what you are talking about?"

The client was silent before giving pity through their eyes. "It seems that your Fairy Tail friends that had gone to that island had disappeared."

Lucy forced a small smile. "I see. Then may I collect the reward now so I can go and investigate?"

The client nodded with a pity smile and gave the blonde the reward. "Thank you so much, and I am sorry for your loss."

Lucy gave the client a last smile before Lucy ran out of the house and disappeared into the void. She ran through the void at a fast pace with heightened fear of what she had heard, wishing that it was all a dream.

She then opened the void again and found herself on a ship, ship where she had recognized her friends that had not gone to the island. Jet, Droy, Bisca, Alack, Romeo, Laki, Nab, Wakaba, and Macao was all on the ship. And all of them were looking out into the sea.

Romeo noticed her first and ran over to the blonde. "Lucy!"

Upon hearing those words, the rest of the mages turned around to face a pale Lucy.

"Is it true? Did they really disappear?" Lucy croaked as she forced the words out of her mouth.

The mages were silent for a moment before Laki decided to speak, noting how the mages were distraught and silent with dread "Yes. Right now, we are trying to find them."

Lucy gave them hardened looks as they looked the ground. With a deep sigh, Lucy turned and walked to the edge of the ship and close her eyes as she activated her mystic senses, to try and track her missing friends, hoping that they had not been destroyed, as the rumors had stated.

Couple seconds in, she felt nothing. She tried again, extending her mystic sense, and the result was the same. She could only feel the magical powers of the mages that stood behind her.

Lucy felt sick to her stomach, as she couldn't sense anyone. She could not sense a thing out in the ocean.

"For now, we need a temporary Master until we can find them." Macao spoke up after moments of deadly silence.

"I think Lucy would be a good Master for the time being." Laki commented.

"I agree...Master Makarov would often have her go on dangerous missions...or come back from a dangerous mission...Great leadership as well." Wakaba added.

"Plus, we all know that she is equally strong as Erza." Droy and Jet said in unison.

"Stop." Lucy interrupted before anyone could keep talking. She didn't like where this was going, She turned back to the mages with dead eyes. "We are going back to the guild."

"What? What about them!?" Romeo exclaimed, gesturing to the open sea, where the Fairy Tail was last seen. "We just can't abandon them!"

"We're not. We need to formulate a plan to bring them back. The thing that we need is the help of the entire guild. Not just us." Lucy retorted to the little boy.

Romeo was not convinced, but the other mages knew what Lucy was thinking and knew that it would be a lost cause to keep looking for them as they are right now. "Alright, let's go back."

* * *

Lucy stood on the second floor and ordered Macao to stand next to her. And the other members stood down below, talking and exclaiming words of worry and fear.

After couple minutes of making sure that all of the members were present, Lucy raised her hand it only took the guild a few moments for them to quiet down.

When silence ensued, Lucy decided to speak her unspoken plan. "As we all know, the Fairy Tail members that had gone to the island had suddenly disappeared. But we do not know if they are yet dead. We do not know the full extent of what had happened on that island. But that does not mean they are dead. Fairy Tail does not consider their nakama dead unless it had been verified. But, it is unknown at this time, and right now, I hereby consider them missing. Fairy Tail will always go back home, and they will come back."

Lucy paused for a moment, catching her breath, and letting the spoken words sink in before continuing. "It would be a disgrace for the state of our guild to be in a frenzy, to be lost when we know that they will come back. Master Makarov, the S-Class mages, the candidates, our friends are all missing. But hold hope that they will come back, no matter how many years it will take."

Soft murmurs were sporadic amongst the members as Lucy continued to talk, murmurs of confirmation of agreements.

"As we are now, we do not have a master, so I would like to nominate Macao to be the temporary master until they return."

After that statement, louder murmurs would consistent filled with confusion and uncertainty.

Macao turned to Lucy with frantic eyes. "I thought we agreed that you would be..."

Lucy gave him a look that cause him to pause. "If I did not have my mission, then I would gladly be the next master, but this is not one of those time that I should be messing around. I'm serious about this." Lucy whispered to Macao.

Macao stared at Lucy for a moment before complying.

"Macao, give them the speech, and keep this guild moving." Lucy ordered.

Macao nodded and faced the guild. "We are Fairy Tail mages, and we will forever wait for our loved ones and never disgrace the name our beloved guild!"

The members begun to cheer and did the symbol of Fairy Tail, pointing their hands up, with only the index finger out.

Macao then turned to Lucy...only to find that she was no longer there. "Lucy?"

* * *

Lucy stood at the docks, the last place she had the interactions with them, especially Erza.

She felt really...guilty for what she had gone. She lied, lied to the entire guild. They were never coming back. She could not sense anything out in the sea. Because they were gone.

She knew that the guild would be too...lost and depressed to keep the guild going nice and strong. Especially when all of the strongest members were on that island. So how could the guild keep moving forward knowing that they would no longer be the strongest as it had been? Lies. Lies would definitely keep them moving, but it was wrong thing to do.

And Lucy knew it. She couldn't be the next master while fighting for the prophecy and finding the remaining keys and fighting off any dark magic with connections with Zeref. That was impossible. Macao would be the best choice for the position.

She reached and touched her lips, remember the light contact of Erza's lips on hers...it felt so faint, but she could remember it so clearly.

"If I had to answer for you confession, I would definitely consider it after the prophecy." Lucy muttered, looking at the horizon, with a lone tear falling down her cheek.

 **A/N: So sad, isn't it T.T**

 **Review and comment on your thoughts! I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: And before you read, and to reduce any confusion, this story will include Edolas. However, it will NOT follow the canon storyline in any form or shape. Edolas will be a neighboring kingdom next to Fiore. Some more history will be explained in this chapter as well in the next**.

 **If you have any other question about this, feel free to PM me or post it in the review section. I will get back to you and gladly respond to you. ;3**

 **PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the ones its love the most  
Once friends, now enemy, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

It had been 6 months since the loneliness started. It had been 6 month since the guild had not been the same. It had been 6 months since Lucy finally realized the reality of it, and it hurts.

Lucy had found a family with Erza, Natsu, Gray, and the others, and they had given her hope. Hope to win the impending war and survive it. Now...how could the blonde possibly win the war? Sure when she finds the remaining keys, she might survive and win, but now...

That's what frustrates Lucy the most. She couldn't find them anywhere. Lupus's keys were still not working, and Levy would've kept helping her on figuring out how to fix it...Now Lucy needs to rely on luck now.

Luck...Luck is what Lucy needs now.

She could have her guild help her, but it was no longer the same. It felt...dull without them. Although it was still filled with loyal members, some members left, but surprisingly to Lucy, some had joined. For now, Fairy Tail will hold. And Lucy will make sure that it holds. For them.

She wanted answers, answers from a ghost that should know everything, but she had never responded to her calls. No matter how many shouts and curses the blonde had thrown out in the empty space around her, all she had gotten was a silence treatment. Mavis was ignoring her and Lucy hated that.

She replayed the prophecy in her head over and over and over again, trying to find the entire meaning behind them. Perhaps thinking outside the box would help her...

 _Into the future, doom shall befall_

Lucy was thrown 400 years into the future to fight against the wizard of darkness, Zeref. That much was easy to her.

 _It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it_

Who is the hell is the chosen 5? Lucy couldn't figure that out. She never had.

 _The stars of 88 must combine_

Lucy couldn't even find the remaining keys. Those damn keys. She only needed four more keys...

 _Revelation of the stars and knight shall colli_ de

Lucy had fought Erza, who possessed the knight magic...could be her...or some other knight.

 _A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all_

Lucy paused at this. Erza tried to create a relationship with her...did that count? Lucy didn't even get to give her an answer, so they definitely did not have a relationship yet. But why did it feel like doom had already been delivered?...The destruction of the island by a dark dragon, killing off the mages along with it. It was definitely a probability that it was a warning, or the world would be next, Lucy ought to be careful next time, if there's even a next time...

 _When myth becomes truth, a naked star will sacrifice the ones it loved the most_

Damn myths and sacrifices. Lucy hated those. Why did she have to deal with them? Why did she have to do it all? And what will Lucy sacrifice? The last thing she needed was another friend disappearing on her.

 _Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet_

Lucy could care less anymore. She was done alone now. Riddles and myths and prophecies...they are too much for her.

A light chuckle formed in Lucy's throat in a humorless laugh as she stared off at the horizon, the spot where she last stood when it all had begun and ended. She could still imagine that ship that had sailed off into the distance. She wished that it would come back...

"Lucy."

Lucy quickly whisked her head around to the sudden sound of a voice to see a familiar figure behind her. Realizing who was behind her, she turned fully to face the man. "Mystogan. Thought you were on that island."

"...I had other things to do." Mystogan responded.

Lucy stared at the man for a moment. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Mystogan took a step forward and approached Lucy. "I heard, I heard it all. Since it all happened, since they disappeared, I heard of the things that you had done."

Lucy scoffed and looked to the side. "How does that concern you?"

"It does not. However, I learned that you are looking for certain things."

Lucy turned back to face Mystogan.

"...Celestial keys and anything that has to do with dark magic and Zeref. Sadly, I do not anything about your keys, but I have some leads that you may want to know about Zeref and dark magic." Mystogan continued.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at the man for a moment, suspicion building up. "What's in it for you? Why are you telling me this?"

"I know of you, Gamma Ibis."

Lucy clenched her fists as she stared at the masked man. "First of all, don't address me as that. I intend on getting rid of that name. Second of all, what do you want?"

"I have Intel on what you seek. Connections of Zeref and dark magic."

Lucy stared at the man before her with gritted teeth. "Intel? You know, did you know...that for months I had been searching for answers...connections, signs of anything. The keys, the dark magic, Zeref...my friends. So please tell me that your 'Intel' is better than what I had been searching for."

"It is solid as many. It is a chance that you should not pass."

Lucy studied the masked man up and down. "Why should I trust you?"

"It's a choice that you can make." Mystogan responded.

A gamble? Can Lucy really risk it? Perhaps she should, this was probably the golden lead she had received since they had disappeared...so what's the harm?

"What is this...Intel?"

"Zeref's hideout."

Lucy stared at the man for a second before letting out a small chuckle. "I don't have time for games."

"This is not a game."

"Zeref that I know will not settle for a hideout."

"He raided my country and was I forced to escape."

Lucy frowned at that. "Where did you lived?"

"A neighboring country called Edolas. As you had said when we had first met, you sensed a non-existent magic within me. That's because I had originated from a different dimension. A world of no magic."

"...So...You're an alien?"

"That's...one way to put it. But that's not important right now. Right now, I have leads. I have leads on the connections with Zeref and dark magic. Right now, it is too much for me to handle...so I wanted to ask you to help me with this."

"...If you want me to help you with this...mission, then you need to fill me on in the details." Lucy demanded.

Mystogan nodded. "It would be easier to explain everything from the start. It all started in a neighboring land called Edolas." Mystogan started.

~Flashback~

 _"You know this is wrong!" Mystogan yelled._

 _"For the sake of my city, I will go such length, my boy." King Faust glared at his son._

 _"You're going to kill innocent people if you do this!"_

 _"And I have no patience for you if you keep this up!"_

 _"This is wrong and you know it." Mystogan stood his ground._

 _King Faust rose from his throne and glared down at his song. "What I am doing is for my kingdom, and sacrifices must be made to maintain it. And your brother knew it!"_

 _"No. You're doing this for you. You don't care about the kingdom. And don't bring him into this! He's a criminal and you know it!"_

 _"How dare you! I ought to -"_

 _"And it seems that there is a disagreement."_

 _King Faust was interrupted in his yelling when there was another voice that had been registered in the room between father and son._

 _King Faust and Mystogan turned to see a young boy with black hair and block robe...with red eyes._

 _"Who are you? How did you get in here!?" King Faust ordered._

 _"I am what they call me Zeref. The dark wizard, the creator of demons. But that's not important right now."_

 _"Zeref? Never heard of you. Now begone!" King Faust yelled._

 _Zeref smirked and took a step forward. "The prophecy is fast approaching, too quickly than I am comfortable with. But as fate would have it, she will be here soon. And I will have to kill her."_

 _"What you talking about?" Mystogan asked before his father could yell anything again._

 _"All life is precious, and they must be destroyed, but the time is not yet upon us, thankfully." Zeref continued, ignoring Mystogan's question. "But for now, puppets is what I need, and I will acquire them."_

 _Mystogan didn't like the sound of that, when this Zeref person said 'puppets'. He silently activated his magic sticks to be on the defensive side, not wanting to die anything soon._

 _"You spoke of the prophecy. What is it?" Mystogan asked again._

 _This time, Zeref eagerly replied. "The prophecy for the beginning and the end. The girl...or me will prevail. Annihilation will occur, and only she can stop me from making it happen."_

 _"...Who...is this girl?" Mystogan asked._

 _Zeref smirked and raised his hand and shot a wave of magic toward the son and father. Because Mystogan was already prepared, he dodged easily, but had forgotten about his father and saw that his father was brought to the ground._

 _In a split second, an agonizing scream was heard from the King of Edolas. The King started to thrash around, spasm from the unknown pain that he was going through._

 _"Father!" Mystogan called out, but did not move to check his injuries, he was still painfully aware of Zeref watching him. So he turned to the black wizard and glared at him. "What did you do to him, and what do you want!?"_

 _"I already said it. I want to have more puppets when the time is near. And King Faust will be helpful in lending me money. And I will run him dry." Zeref smirked. "I had put a curse on him to make him my puppet. Now, please hold still so I can get you. You will be the last one."_

 _Before Zeref could do anything, Mystogan disappeared in thin air, leaving Zeref with only the screams of the king on the floor._

 _..._

 _Mystogan ran out of the city and through a forest, running away from the Edolas, from his home. He was confused on what was happening, or who Zeref was._

 _But the number one thing he needed to do was to save his father, but he needed to find a way to break that curse, to save his father from the curse, and maybe stop this mysterious man named Zeref._

 _But the one thing he was confused on was Zeref rambling about some prophecy and a girl._

~End of Flashback~

Lucy faced the ocean once Mystogan was finished telling his story. "So Zeref was already making his moves. What did he mean by 'the last one'?"

Mystogan shook his head. "I do not know. But after observing you, I gambled that you may know."

Lucy sighed and turned to face the masked man. "Tell me why I should trust you."

"Because you don't have a choice. And I understand your need of your priority in your mission. But please understand this, Zeref had raided my kingdom and I had been looking for a chance to take it back. I had now found my chance." Mystogan said with determination.

"A chance?" Lucy repeated mockingly.

"I want...I need your help...to help me take my kingdom. All the while, you would have the chance to get what you need." Mystogan explained.

"And I have nothing else to lose, don't I?" Lucy sighed.

"You have everything to lose, Lucy."

Lucy chuckled and looked to the side. "Guess you're right."

"I'll give you a choice. If you want to take the chance and go to my kingdom and help me, then meet me here tomorrow at dawn." Mystogan offered before disappearing into thin air, leaving Lucy by herself in the silence in the dead of night.

Lucy sighed deeply and turned to face the ocean again. A couple minutes passed with Lucy zoning out with the alternatives that was given to her.

"As a Princess, you should take responsibility and go." A sudden husky voice spoke from behind.

Lucy whipped around to see a young man in a green jacket.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked with narrowed eyes, alert when the man had said 'Princess'.

The man smiled and fixed his sunglasses. "I won't be offended if the Great Prophecy do not recognize me."

Lucy made a defensive stance as she face the mysterious man. "Who are you?"

"I had them call me Loki."

"Loki? Then can you tell me what you know about the prophecy? It sounds like you know what it is." Lucy spoke.

"It's been a long time since I had seen you...and your mother." Loki continued, not answering the blonde's question.

"My mother had been dead for more than a century. How could you possible know her?"

Loki smiled. "Lucy Heartfilia. I would never imagined that I would have enough time to meet you. You truly had grown."

As if on cue, his hand, his legs, his face, his entire body was transparent, even for a split second. Lucy could sense the pain that was ever so slightly painted over the man's face.

"You know...I am sorry for happened to them. They were my friends too." Loki continued with a sad smile.

"Them? You mean the Fairy Tail members that disappeared at that island? Are you a member?"

Loki nodded.

"I've never seen you before..." Lucy murmured.

Loki let out a small chuckle. "That's because I had been...avoiding you, Lucy."

"Avoiding me? Why?"

"Because I don't deserve it." Loki said with a serious look.

"Don't deserve what?"

"A star...can never go back to heaven because of their sins." Again, Loki's became transparent again, and pain could visibly be seen on Loki's face.

Lucy paused for a moment before studying the man before her. "Loki...who...what are you?"

Loki pause for a moment, reconsidering what to say next. "I am...I-I..."

Lucy waited for Loki to answer her, but she could sense the hesitation in his voice. "Loki, you need to tell me, or I will label you as hostile."

Loki chuckled a little. "You definitely changed after they disappeared. Lucy...I know that you are searching for those keys, but I...I just can't go back."

Lucy shifted her weight on her other feet and glared at Loki curiously. "'Can't go back'? What are saying?"

"Princess. Your prophecy...the other spirits...your friends...you are not alone."

Lucy shook her head. "Perhaps. But you still haven't answered my question."

"Princess. I want to help you...I want to help you with your prophecy. But that realm will never let me back in."

"You're...a spirit?" Lucy voiced, piecing the pieces that Loki was giving her.

Loki sighed and smiled sadly. "Yes..."

"Loki...Leo the Lion?"

Loki...Leo nodded.

"...A Zodiac spirit under my nose the whole time? How come I never...sensed you?"

"You can sense spirits, and fallens. But you can't sense a cursed fallen...and banned spirits."

Lucy remained silent, taking in the information that Leo had given her. "Banned? Spirits can't live in the human world."

"My life is slowly...slipping away...as you can see. It's already been...3 years since I've been banned. You can't sense me because I have no more use for you."

"3 years? You've been...suffering all this time? Why haven't you gone to me? I could've helped you."

Leo shook his head. "I...had committed a sin...And..."

"And you don't want to go back? Fallen stars can always find a way back to heaven."

"I killed my owner. Now I'm banned. And I...want to pay for my sin."

Lucy sighed and looked up at the sky. "Why now?" She muttered tiredly, not too loud, but soft enough to where Leo could not hear it.

After a few moment of silence, Lucy looked back down, at Leo. "I...do not have the luxury of waiting for another spirit to replace you. Plus, if there was a justifying reason for killing your owner, then I do not have the time to wait till you disappear, nor do I care that you had committed a sin."

"What you mean?" Leo inquired

Lucy stared at Leo for a moment before answer him. "You are...still alive. Why should I just stay here and let you disappear? I'm taking you back to heaven. Where you belong."

"...Is this for your prophecy?"

Lucy smiled. "I stopped caring about that months ago. I don't want to lose anyone else. That includes you too, Leo."

Leo chuckled a bit. "Thanks. But...I don't think that you can do it. There's no way to take me back."

Lucy huffed. "You call me 'Princess', the Great Prophecy, and you say that I can't do this?" She raised her eyebrow at the spirit. "I'd watch your mouth if I was you."

Leo stared at the blonde for a moment, wondering what the blonde will do.

Lucy turned to the side and raised her hand, opening a void in the process. She turned back to Leo. "I will be back. Don't go anywhere." The blonde demanded.

After receiving affirmation from the spirit, Lucy proceeded by walking into her void.

* * *

Lucy stood in front of the Celestial King with determination.

"It's been a long time, old friend." The Celestial King spoke up with his arms crossed and standing tall.

Lucy nodded. "Yes. It's been awhile. Should I assume that you already know why I am here?"

"Yes. However, I cannot abide to your request of bringing Leo back, my old friend, back to this world." The Celestial King responded.

Lucy sighed deeply to calm her frustration. "I do not have time for this. I need all 88 keys. And that includes Leo. You are going to allow him the right to come back."

"Old friend had committed a sin, and therefore is denied a path to this realm."

"I do not know what sin he had done, and I could care less. Ever thought about second chances? Ever thought of having Leo fight for balance his sins? He can help me win this war. He can help me with the prophecy. He can reclaim his honor as the leader of the Zodiacs. There is no need to kill him."

The Celestial King hummed in silence and stared at the blonde.

"You say 'old friend' for Leo. Does that mean you given up on him? Leo's is supposed to be your friend. You're supposed to never give up on your friends. What happened? Just because he 'broke' a rule, doesn't mean you turn your back on him. There's always a reason, and I know that the leader of the Zodiacs had a reason for committing the sin that he had done. And I...I could sense the regret in his voice. Leo regretted this. And he regretted his crime. And he's already paid his due. He's suffering."

"I still cannot allow a passage for him."

Lucy clenched her fists tightly and deeply sighed, "Mustache face... If you're not going to do for him, then do it for me. I already had to go through...many things. I already lost friends. I'm losing faith here. So god help me, give Leo his rightful place in this realm."

The Celestial King remained mute as he continued to listen to Lucy.

Lucy shifted on her other leg and placed her hand on her hips, indicating that he was being more frustrated. "You brought me here for five years. That's more than 400 years in the real world. You and the other spirits had taught me about many things. And you taught me the importance of having all 88 keys. You told me to collect all 88 keys. But now...you're denying me the right to do that. All I ask you is to allow Leo back into the realm."

After a moment of Lucy catching her breath, she continued. "Please have some logic. Please...Leo's is your friend. Why should you just turn your back on him?"

The Celestial King started to hum, as if in deep thought. After a moment, he spoke up. "Perhaps I will consider this. I will hereby give Leo his right to return to the realm."

Lucy sighed. "Was that so hard?"

The Celestial King hummed.

* * *

"Thank you, Princess."

"Thanks is not needed, Leo. Or do you still want to be called Loki?"

Leo chuckled. "You may call me whatever you like."

Lucy sighed. "Ok...Leo. Now that you can go back to your world, you can help now."

Leo smiled. "Yeah...But...I really never asked you to do this."

"And I never asked you why and how you knew my mother."

"Your mother was my previous owner. I would sometimes report to her on your well-being during your training. I made sure to not be spotted by you, as it was an order by your mother. That's why I had been eager to meet you. The last couple months, I was beginning to believe that I would not have the time to meet you."

Lucy nodded with a smile. "That would make sense. I saved you because you have a potential to do something...greater. And I had the Celestial King to give you a second chance."

Lucy looked at Leo for a moment, studying the spirit. "Why come to me now? When you could've just stayed away, or sooner?"

"Because I knew that you had been frustrated and had a dilemma with your mission and your priorities. I simply wanted to make sure that...you are on the right path."

Lucy took a deep breath. "I see. Well, guess I can still rely on you and the others then. Thank you Leo."

Leo grinned. "You're as beautiful as your mother was, Princess. And gentle. Thank you. But always know...that we are here for you. You are our priority, and our friend."

Lucy smiled.

Leo raised his hand and extended it toward Lucy, wanting a handshake from the blonde. Lucy complied and shook it with him.

Leo held her hand tighter, glad to have the contact with her. "By the way, do you wish to accompany me on a date?"

Lucy sighed and willed Leo back to the world, causing the spirit to aglow a bright golden light, disappearing into the Realm where he belongs, leaving only a golden key in Lucy's hand.

Alone in the silence again, Lucy held the newly acquired golden key in her hand as she stared off into the distance of the sea, now dark, as the sun had long settled.

 **A/N: I honestly hate this chapter 3.3/**

 **So uneventful and boring and it feels out of place...I'll probably fix it after the completion of this book...**

 **Please review and comment on your thought! I don't bite!**

 **Toodles!~~**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: This is a slight rewrite***

 **Hope this is tens times better than the last crappy chapter, and I will fix it one way or another**

 **PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one its love the most  
Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

 _You have everything to lose_.

Lucy replayed that simple phrase over and over and over again. She believed in that simple phrase, because it's the truth. She had so many things that she held dear, so many things she considered important in her life.

From amidst of all the things that Lucy had unraveled, which is not much to brag about, she learned many things. Things that made things easier for her to deal with the sudden disappearance of her friends.

"Never say goodbye. Saying goodbye indicates that this would be the last time you would see them. And saying goodbye leads to the unsuccessfulness to recall that person. Our souls are connected, and a simple goodbye will only sever that bond between the two souls. Never say goodbye. It is better that way."

Lucy felt a little better when she had frozen from the actions of Erza before she had escaped to the boat.

"They are never truly gone, as they remain in the hearts of those when goodbye was never muttered, because they will never be forgotten. Even the dead, they shall watch from the shining stars that paints the darkest of the sky during the high mid-point of the night. They are never truly gone, as they are part of you."

Lucy will never forget the smiles and the idiotic actions of her friends. The motion sickness that seems to follow Natsu every time he thinks about or climbs aboard a train. Gray will never be ridding of his habit of shedding his clothes, no matter the situation he finds himself in. Happy with his usual antics of fish eating and spreading rumors of false romances between mages. And Erza, with her strong posture that she beheld and maintained with an armored heart.

Lucy could always tell that the redhead was holding something back. But she never knew it was because she had a crush on her. Nonetheless, she needs to move on. Her answer for the redhead matters no more, as there is no reason to keep debating on what to say to her. Because she was gone.

Then she felt a presence of a familiar magic approaching from behind. Before the man could even say anything, Lucy beat him to the punch by speaking.

"Where is this place? I can instantly transport us there."

"...Far east of Fiore." Mystogan answered.

"How did you end up here? That's really far..." Lucy frowned for a minute before creating a void next to her.

"That's not important." The masked man said before entering the void, followed by Lucy.

Lucy quickly equipped herself with the familiar cloak around her and begun to walk forward, already knowing where to go. Mystogan followed the cloaked girl, hoping that her sense of direction was decent.

The silence in the void was deafening to Lucy, as she had already been used to the rowdy noises of the guide. Why is Mystogan so quiet!? Lucy mourned.

3 minutes later, Lucy made an abrupt stop, causing Mystogan to slightly bump into the cloak girl. Disregarding the bump, Lucy opened the void and jumped out, followed by Mystogan.

"Is this the correct place?" Lucy called out, scanning her surroundings, noticing how...dead her surroundings was. She could make out dead plants that may had been beautiful and grand.

It didn't take Mystogan long to scan his surroundings with displeasure. "Yes. Although the city is miles away."

"Well, at least we are at the right place." Lucy huffed.

"Let us go." Mystogan said, raising one of his staff into the air.

Both Lucy and Mystogan was encased with a bright blue light. Lucy found herself floating into the air and in a millisecond, she was lurched forward with a powerful kick of magic. Almost a second later, Lucy felt the ground touch her ground again, however she collapsed to the ground from the unexpected usage of the magic that Mystogan had used.

Mystogan gracefully stood, like he done this many times over, and watched as Lucy slowly got back to her feet, not saying anything.

Lucy then turned to Mystogan with a scowl. "Next time...remind me."

Mystogan nodded. "I'll take note of that. But never mind that. We are here." He gestured to the area in front of him.

Lucy huffed again and turned to look at what Mystogan was looking at. Shocked was not the right word for her. She didn't really care for as why the city below the castle seemed almost abandoned, and for why the castle seemed so grand and in top shape, form what she could tell.

"So Zeref is there?" Lucy called out.

"Yes...he should be there...I think."

Lucy turned to Mystogan and sighed. "So you don't know. How long since you been here?"

"10 years."

"Is that so? When and how did you join Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked, taking a step forward toward the castle and the abandoned city.

"I joined 3 years later after I ran away. As for why I joined...I can't really say. Something was telling me that I need to join this guild. An intuition might you say." Mystogan replied, walking alongside with Lucy toward the city and the castle.

"Intuition? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I do not know, but I think I just found out. I think I was meant to join, and have you help me with this."

"Does destiny ring a bell?" Lucy sighed. "Coincidence is my best guess. You were at the right time, at a right place to ask me for help."

"Perhaps..."

The rest of the walk to the city was met with silence. Lucy only paid attention to the abandoned houses as they passed by. She noticed some old and dried blood on the walls of the houses, shattered glass, and broken goods. It was a mess. She even noticed some rotting skeletons in the alleyway. It was sick.

"What happened here?"

"Zeref attacked the village. And it seems that he is already done with my father."

"Even with the castle in top shape?" Lucy pointed out.

Mystogan sighed behind his mask. "I do not know exactly what happened since I left."

"Only one way to find out." Lucy smirked.

As they neared the castle, slowly noticing deep details and structures that couldn't be seen from a distance , Lucy noted that the castle sported a different look than from the distance. It was actually neglected in various places, as they had never been tended to. Cracks and molds could be seen, and vines decorated the walls.

"I stand corrected. This castle is ruined." Lucy muttered as she continued her walk to where a giant set of doors stood. "So, your father would be in here?"

Mystogan nodded.

"As a prince, I think you should do the honors of opening the door to your castle." Lucy stepped aside.

Mystogan complied and opened the door with ease, shoving the door wide enough to allow the entrance for Lucy and himself.

Entering the castle, it was dark. No alighted candle to be seen.

"I imagined castles to be more...lighter than this. This is too depressing."

"It wasn't always like this." Mystogan assured the blonde. "First we need to find them."

"So we split up?"

"To cover more ground, yes."

"Got it." Lucy immediately stalked to her right, seeing a hallway that might've intrigued her.

Mystogan watched as Lucy walked away before turning on his heels, and searching for his father, and maybe Zeref himself...maybe.

* * *

Lucy would be lying if she said that she was not intrigued by the ruins and the destruction of the castle. Though she detested death and blood, she found it fascinating to see dried blood on the walls and dead soldiers. Mostly because it told Lucy of a message, a message on what had happened since the kingdom was attacked. It gave Lucy a more sense of understanding of what she was dealing with.

But that's the problem. She couldn't make out any evidence to determine what had happened, mostly because it was too dark. Maybe if Natsu was here...

No...

Sighing deeply, Lucy continued her walk, vowing that she would come back and study these soldiers and find out what happened.

Then she felt a sudden spike of magic straight ahead. So someone's still here. Lucy slightly mused as she jogged forward to where the site of magic was felt.

It was in a room at the far end of the hallway. Slowing to a halt, Lucy cautiously approached a seemingly normal rotted wooden door. Grasping the cold metal knob, she turned it and the blonde slipped into the room.

She was expecting more dark walls and floors, nothing to allow Lucy visualization of what's there. But there were candles to be seen, alighted and alive. The flames danced as Lucy cautiously made her way deeper into the room.

She noticed many things. And she knew that this place had been used very recently, save for the candles. She could see footprints forming from the collection of dust that littered the floor. Lucy spotted a desk and approached it. Touching the woodened desk, she noticed how no dust were seen or felt.

"Someone's here." Lucy muttered, looking at a sack of letters to the side and seeing a wet puddle of ink in a bowl.

A sudden clang of metal hitting metal was registered in a muffled area. Lucy hastily turned to the source and silently called forth the power of Taurus as she sauntered to the source.

She stood in front of a door, and reached out for the door knob and her free hand extended outward for defense mechanism.

Swinging the door open, she immediately deflated and allowed her power to go back to the Realm.

Why was a little girl in this castle? And hiding?

The girl in a closest, as Lucy quickly observed from the cramp space around the girl, had her back against the wall as she was staring at Lucy with fear.

Lucy slowly knelt down and smiled at the girl. "Hello. I won't hurt you."

The girl remained rigid and fearful.

Lucy decided to change tactics. "My name is Lucy, and I am your friend. I came to help this...kingdom."

Lucy sensed that the girl relaxed a little as the girl looked at the blonde up and down.

"What's your name?" Lucy asked.

"...C...Coco." The girl answered.

"Coco. Nice to meet you. Want to come out of there?"

"I...can't walk." Coco whimpered fearfully.

Lucy frowned, glancing toward her feet, seeing the intensity of the damage. She leaned forward and grabbed Coco with gentle grasp and carried her bridal style. Lucy looked around the room, searching for a furniture that she could set the girl.

She spies a bed, but she rather not, as it must be disgusting. Then she spies a table, littered with scraps of paper and metal.

Moving the trash aside, she placed the girl onto the table with careful maneuvers.

Taking a step backward, Lucy looked Coco in the eyes. "Want to tell me what happened?'

"Ever since the kingdom was attacked, and everyone being killed, the King was somehow affected, but he survived. But he was never the same. Mostly because his sons had left, and never came back." Coco mumbled.

"Was there...another entity involved in the attack of this kingdom?"

"Yes...what was it...? I can't remember, but I do remember red eyes."

"Red eyes?" Lucy frowned.

Coco nodded.

Lucy silently sighed as she looked to the side, scanning her surrounding once more.

"Ah, to think there was a survivor."

Lucy and Coco turned to the sudden registration of a voice from the entrance of the room. Mystogan stood with a sluggish form as she made his way to where Lucy stood.

"Coco, I am glad to see that you are still okay." Mystogan smiled behind his mask.

Coco cocked her head to the side questioningly. "Who are you?"

Mystogan gave Lucy a quick glance before reaching out to remove his mask. All in a few moment after he had removed his mask, Coco had tried to jump off of the table and tackle Mystogan. And Lucy remained frozen from the familiarity that Mystogan's true form gave.

Mystogan caught Coco before she could collapse to the ground. Coco wrapped her arms around the man, tears falling down her cheeks.

"You came back! It's been so long! I've missed you!"

"Likewise." Mystogan muttered with a small smile, which soon faltered as he glanced at Lucy, who had a grave look on her face.

Mystogan let go and carried Coco back onto the table and turned to Lucy, who was still glaring at him with hatred.

"I can understand your anger. But I am not Jellal. He is my brother."

"Jellal? You've seen him? Where is he?" Coco asked.

"Prison." Lucy replied with malice, not taking her eyes off of Mystogan.

Mystogan only nodded. "Anyway, I've found some clues on where my father is."

"Ah, the King! He's always wondering through the halls as if he was in a trance. It always scarred me so I tried to hide away from him." Coco exclaimed with a shudder from a memory.

"Is that why you were in the closet?"

Coco nodded.

"Had you tried to go where he rests?" Mystogan asked.

Coco nodded. "I actually had. I had followed him to the underground, where the cells are. I didn't dare to go beyond that because I hate cells."

"Great. Stay here, and Lucy and I will go and investigate. Right Lucy?" Mystogan turned to Lucy for approval.

Lucy sighed angrily and nodded. "Sure."

Mystogan turned back to Coco and gave her a reassuring nod. "You'll be fine. Can you care for yourself?"

Coco nodded. "Yep, I had been using crutches to help me get around."

Mystogan nodded again and turned back to Lucy, only to find the spot empty. He turned toward to the entrance, finding Lucy with her arms crossed as she continued to glare at him to hurry it up.

Mystogan walked over to her and nodded. "I know where to go."

"Lead the way then." Lucy gestured the prince to start walking.

In all honestly, she was not mad or hates Mystogan, she was just reminded of the hatred for the brother of the man before her. The man that had caused her to kill her own father. Mystogan was just another person, and Lucy knows that.

For now, she needed to get used to seeing the face of Jellal as she worked with Mystogan.

Now, all they needed to find was a king that seems to be in a trance and wonder the halls of the ruins.

 **A/N: This is much better, wouldn't you agree? ^^**

 **Review and comment on your thought! I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Slight rewrite***

 **PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chose 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the one its love the most  
Once friends, now enemies, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

The apprehension of her uncertainty was justified as she stared up at the clear sky. The tension from an oncoming destruction was gone. The only thing that remained was the confused look of the other members as they looked around.

The arrival of Jet and Droy, as well as their appearance changes was the most confusing and troubling for the most mages. For Erza, she was the most disturbed.

"Jet? Droy? Why are you here? And what's up with the costume?" Natsu frowned as he rose from the ground.

"It's not costume!" Jet and Droy cried in unison as they hugged Natsu to death.

"But what about the dragon?" Gray dusted some dirt off of him as he approached Natsu and the others.

"You're alive!" Jet and Droy continued to cry.

10 minutes later, all of the members managed to come together again and conformed to the news of what had happened. Most of them were surprised, others were confused, and few were concerned.

"Silence!" Makarov boomed, silencing the members successfully. "It is as it appears. We have been gone for 7 years."

"Yes." A new voice cut in, alerting everyone, minus Makarov.

The mages turned to a little girl sitting on a branch.

"Oh! You're that girl that brought us here!" Jet and Droy yelled, pointing at the girl.

The girl in question smiled. "I had faith that you would come and find them."

"Mavis. Care to explain how we were sealed for 7 years?" Makarov cut in, wanting to know an answer.

"Your bond as a guild was strong and powerful enough for me to convert that feeling into a spell that would save you. It took 7 years for the seal to wear off." Mavis explained.

Erza turned to Jet and Droy. "How are the others at the guild?"

"They are actually doing pretty well." Jet answered.

"It's all thanks to Lucy." Droy added.

"Lucy?" Erza perked up.

"Whatever the case, we should return to our family, as we had left them alone for this long." Makarov said, already walking toward the shores, where a boat would be docked.

"Yeah! Let's see Lucy and the others!" Natsu cheered, running toward the sea. Happy soon followed him with a smile.

Jet and Droy remained silent on that note, but they continued to run alongside their long-lost friends.

...

Erza stood at the rails, watching as the waves collide and withdrawals from with each other. She wonders how Lucy lived through these 7 years. She wondered how Lucy had dealt with this, or what her answer for her confession was. She was excited nd anxious to meet her blonde friend, hoping that she wouldn't be too mad.

The rest of the Fairy Tail members recalled and managed to catch up on what they had been missing for these past 7 years.

However, much to Erza's suspicion, Jet and Droy refused to reveal anything concerning Lucy, claiming that they would explain everything once they got back.

Why does Erza have a bad feeling about this?

* * *

The guild was bursting with members as they milled about, however, they halted their activities when the door suddenly slammed opened and numerous footsteps were heard.

Their eyes turned toward the door, and an expression of shocked, confused, yet happy and glad to see that it was the truth. Fairy Tail had come back.

Natsu, Erza, Gray, Happy, Mira, Cana, Makarov and all of the others that had gone to the island.

The members that was left behind ran up to them with tears in their eyes and a desire to reconcile with them. The speech that had been given was real with truths and aspects of trust.

All of the members that had gone off to the island were busy with trying to catch up what happened in these 7 years, which was not that much, other than Bisca and Alzack marrying and having a little daughter named Asuka. But nothing was said concerning Lucy.

Erza decided to address the problem head on by raising her voice as she spoke. "Where's Lucy?"

All of the members turned to Erza, agreeing with her as they wanted to know what happened to the blonde. The rest of the guild stayed silent as they turned toward two familiar men. Macao and Wakaba.

"Don't look at me, look at him. He's the guild master." Wakaba pointed at Macao, and scooted away.

Countless eyes bore themselves into Macao, curious and concerned, waiting for him to answer. The aforementioned mage sighed before answering. "Lucy's missing."

Slight murmurs were scattered through the lost mages. Erza and Natsu stalked up to Macao for more answers. Natsu started off by yelling at the man with slight rage.

"What do you mean 'missing'!? Tell me!"

Before Macao would explain, Erza hit Natsu in the head and tossed him to the side before facing Macao again. "Please give me the details."

"I am curious to as why a great mage like Lucy would go missing." Makarov rubbed him mustache.

"Well..." Macao started. "Would you like me to start from the beginning?"

"That would be appreciated." Erza replied.

"Well, right after learning that you guys had disappeared, with the island being destroyed and all, we all immediately begun to search the sea in hopes of finding you. Lucy was in the middle of a job, but she somehow heard the news and immediately transported to our boat. "

Macao took a quick breath to catch his breath. "She told us to go back to plan more effective tactic to find you, but she never gave us the plan. But she did give us a speech, a speech that managed to keep this guild together. If it wasn't for Lucy's speech, this guild would be shambles."

"Where is she right now?" Erza crossed her arms, becoming impatient.

"I don't know. 6 months after you disappeared, she went on a job with someone else, but never returned. She never reported back or stuff."

"A job? With who?" Makarov asked.

"I...I don't know."

"Mystogan."

All mages turned to the one who had spoken. Mavis now stood in the center with a grave look in her eyes. "It would seem that she had been trying to contact me."

"What are you talking about?" Erza asked.

"I couldn't respond because creating that seal took so much of my magic to save you. I was out of commission because of that." Mavis muttered.

"Do you know where she is?" Gray asked, already stripping out of his clothes.

Mavis closed her eyes for a moment before opening them. "No. She must've found a way to prevent me from contacting her. She has as barrier around her. You could say that she's invisible."

"She's still part of the guild?"

"Yes, I can feel it, yet I can't feel anything at all. Strange." Mavis frowned.

"So Mystogan was the last to see her." Erza concluded. "Where is he?"

The guild was silent, which earned a tick to Erza's forehead. "You don't even know where he is!?"

"Silent, Erza. We will figure this out." Makarov said as calmly as he could.

"Lucy may be in danger for all we know!" Erza complained.

"Lucy is strong and you know it. But right now, the only lead we have is that Mystogan knows where he is. We need to find where he is right now."

Erza made a 'tch' sound as she stormed out of the guild, toward her apartment.

She was expecting a dirty, dusty apartment with a big debt for not paying rent for 7 years. She was not expecting it to be clean and organized, and she spots a huge pile of jewel on the bed. Erza doesn't remember having hiring a maid to keep her things clean or having this much money.

Walking deeper into her room, she spots a note on the bedside. She picks it up and started reading the note that was read as:

 _What's the point of giving money to someone is already dead_?

Erza squinted and reread the note two more times. She recognized the handwriting as Lucy's.

"Lucy believed we had been dead?" Erza muttered.

"It would appears so."

Erza twirled around in a panic, summoning a sword in the process. Seconds later, she realized Mavis was behind her with a straight face.

"Hello, Erza. It would seem that Lucy had been frequenting this place for a while." Mavis said while scanning the room, seeing how clean it was.

"What you want?"

"If you really want to find Lucy, then you need to be patient. Right now, as far as I can tell, Lucy is alive and well. But I cannot pinpoint her exact location. Wait and she'll come to you."

"What if I don't want to wait? I need to find her."

"Because of that confession?"

Erza immediately blushed. "Well, that's half the reason, but I'm concerned for her wellbeing."

Mavis smiled. "You should wait. You should already know what Lucy needs to do. But she can't do it alone."

"That's why I need to find her." Erza frowned.

Mavis smirked before disappearing into thin air, leaving Erza alone again with the note in her hand.

* * *

 _A sword had struck upon the girl as she shielded the one she loved the most. Her life already flashing before her eyes as she collapsed to the ground with a sickening thud and an ear piercing scream of the one the girl saved._

 _The girl's conscious was already gone as the girl succumb to darkness and eternity of nothingness._

 _The girl's eyes were close, yet they were open as the girl stared straight ahead into what seems to be an endless of darkness, with nothing to conform to the girl with concern or anything of the sort._

 _The girl felt nothing. The pain prior to before arriving to the place she found herself, she couldn't feel it at all. She found herself on her back, maybe on her feet. On her stomach? Maybe her feet? Maybe she's floating._

 _Thump – Thump  
Thump – Thump _

_Thump – Thump  
Thump – Thump _

_That was all the girl could hear. A rhythmic sound that could be anything. Her heart, or a rhythmic sound of a boot clapping with the ground. As the girl concluded, it could've been anything._

 _A burden of a thousand suns, they seems to be diminishing one by one as the time clicked by. All form of purposes seems to be clicking away, eroding with each passing. She had done her part, she has finished, and the girl now wanted to be laid to rest. And she was getting it_.

* * *

One month passed by with the greatest concern that the guild had been harboring for their missing blonde. Erza had been on several jobs solo, hoping to find some leads on Mystogan, and perhaps Lucy herself. But to no avail, Fairy Tail remains blind.

"Where are you Lucy?"

 **A/N: Well? I think it turned out well. Hmm, as for what happened to Lucy, you'll have to wait for future chapters ;3**

 **"A heart so kind carries the most burden." - KaixinPhoenix (Phoenix) (Me) 3.3/  
Lucy is a kind soul by nature, so can ya'll tell me will happen to her? (This is a hint to future chapters ;3)**

 **Review, comment on your thoughts. I don't bite ;3**

 **Toodles!~~**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Another chapter :D Hope you like**

 **BUT! Before you read this, I have important information to tell you. If you hadn't already realized, I had completely rewritten, revised this entire book, from chapter 1 to chapter 19. And I had changed many things (and it was hard work lol)**

 **Lucy is no longer the wizard saint. (Chapter 5)  
Lucy name is no longer Golden Phantom. It is ****Gamma Ibis** **  
I extended the fight between Lucy and Erza (Chapter 7)  
Please read the rest of the book to look for deep and juicy details, especially in the first part of the book.**

 **Sorry for the inconvenience.**

 **PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chose 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the ones its love the most  
Once friends, now enemy, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

Two weeks passed and the guild remains disturbed, yet settled. The whereabouts of Lucy and her condition remains anonymous while members continue to reconcile and investigate on their missing friend.

As Makarov had stated before, there is nothing that the mages of Fairy Tail could do now as they are now. The only lead known to them was Mystogan, who was the last person to have seen Lucy, according to Mavis. The ghost remained silent and refused to reveal anything else, so the guild was left to find the clues themselves.

Some Fairy Tail members sat at their tables in silence as they continue to find a plausible location that their blonde mage may be, while the other members of Fairy Tail chose to use their time by going on missions.

"I got it!" Natsu howled as he jumped on top a table. "Lucy's must be fighting someone." He grinned widely, as if he had come up with the great plausible explanation ever.

Gray groaned while face-palming. "Of course Lucy would be fighting. That much is easy for us to tell, idiot."

"What you say!" Natsu jumped back on the ground and faced Gray with a scowl.

"I said you're a stupid idiot!" Gray retorted, glaring at the pink haired mage.

"Ice princess!"

"Flam-"

"Enough!" Erza yelled, suddenly getting in between them with a tick on her forehead, pushing their faces apart. "We have no time to be fighting like this."

"Come on, Erza! This idiot isn't even thinking." Gray yelled, gesturing to Natsu as the idiot.

"At least I thought of something!" Natsu retorted.

"SHUT YER MOUTH!" Erza shouted with anger, punching them in the guts, sending them across the room with a loud crash, her patient wearing thin.

Erza sighed deeply and sat in her chair to recollect herself. For two weeks, she had been attempting on finding any possible leads on her blonde friend. Even with or without the help of the other members, there was nothing to call a solid lead.

Amidst the contemplation of the known materials of her goals, the guild's front door opened with a loud boom. Many heads turned to the source to see a heavy-panting Levy as she ran further in the room with a sack of paper in her hands. "I have found some leads on Mystogan and Lucy!"

Upon the revelation of words that was spoken, all of the concerning mages begun to circle around Levy with questioning looks, and threw numerous questions that gave the bookworm a mild migraine.

"Tell us!"

"What is it!?"

"Is he dead!?"

"Did someone kidnap Lucy!?"

"Did they run off to the sunset together?!"

"QUIET!" Erza boomed with tints of annoyance to force down the prattling of questions and murmurs of concern, in order to hear what Levy has to say about the lead that she had finally found.

After chattering into silent from the fear of a certain redhead, Levy chose this moment to start reciting from the sack of paper in her hands to reveal what she had learned.

"'Mystogan, an infamous candidacy of power, had been revealed to be a prince of a nearby kingdom. A fallen kingdom that was known as Edolas. With the help of another mage, Lucy Heartfilia, the Kingdom was able to be restored to its natural state and blossom to what had it been before it had fallen.'"

"Edolas? Never heard of it." Natsu frowned.

"Apparently it had been destroyed by Zeref." Levy added after reading some more.

"Zeref? That would explain why Lucy would help Mystogan. But what happened afterwards?" Erza crossed her arms, frowning with a questioningly look.

"Zeref that bastard…" Natsu growled, remembering his encounter with the black wizard back on the island.

Levy took a moment to read through some of the passage. Couple seconds later, she look up with a frown. "No…all it says that they managed to successfully retake the kingdom and restore the lost balance. It never told us of what happened to Lucy, but it is telling us that Mystogan now leads the kingdom as a renowned King."

Everybody was silence, deep in thought. Couple of seconds later, Erza decided to speak up again. "How old is this information?"

"6 years ago. It's old, but it is still a lead." Levy answered.

"Edolas…that is our next destination. That is where we need to go." Erza declared with a new plan in mind. She stood up and approached to where Makarov was so she could explain her plan of action.

Levy stayed still as she continued to read through the sack of papers in hope of find any more plausible and solid information regarding her missing friend, but nothing else was worth mentioning.

After couple minutes of silence, Natsu jumped on a table with fire in his eyes. "Let's find Mystogan! We need to find Lucy!" He howled as he jumped off of the table and darted toward the guild's entrance to begin his search. Before Natsu even made a step toward the entrance, a hard metal grip grabbed onto his scarf, keeping him in place as the dragon slayer tried to run forward.

"We will go as a team. Lucy is part of our team, and we will go and find her as a team. No objections!" Erza glared daggers at the young mage in her grip. After reveling in the plans with Makarov, Erza wanted to start with the search immediately.

"A-Aye…" Natsu sweatdropped as the iron grip of his scarf was released.

"We leave now." Erza ordered, slightly pushing Natsu toward the door. She turned to Gray, "Let's go. We go to Edolas."

Gray nodded and followed Erza out of the door.

* * *

After reading a map of Fiore and the neighboring countries that surrounded it, Erza estimated that it would take 3 days by train to arrive at the kingdom of Edolas.

She would've pitied Natsu because of his motion sickness, but decided not to because she could knock him out to prevent any possible puke forming on the floor, or complains that she came to be annoyed with.

She made sure to be stocked with a least 50 strawberry cakes for the trip. One can never be too safe than sorry, and Erza will not complain. Though Gray may beg to differ, as he has to deal with the towering landmass of strawberry cakes in boxes, sacked and sacked upon each other, threatening to tip over and cover the ice mage in a delicious treat of dessert.

"Hmm… Have you ever been on a picnic? I would love to go on one…" Erza murmured with delight while eating a delicious strawberry cake.

"…What about Lucy? Don't we need to find her?" Gray sweatdropped as he crossed his arms, hoping that Erza won't unleash all hell on him.

"That's right! How could I forget! I need to invite her on one, maybe we could have a sleepover this, and maybe-" Erza stopped herself before she could really reveal anything about her liking the blonde.

After seeing and hearing the redhead abruptly stopping, and opting to look out of the window, with tints of red painted on her cheeks, Gray slightly smiled. "We all know your little obsession with her. I understand why you want to find her."

Erza silently gulped and turned back to Gray, only to see a smirk on his face. With a sigh, "Was it really that obvious?"

"Hmm…Mira may had told the rest of us…So it became common knowledge."

"That damn woman." Erza muttered angrily. "I should've never talked to her…"

"But don't worry. I actually think that you two would look great together. All that needs to be done is Lucy returning your feelings." Gray smiled, trying to reassure the redhead.

"That would be nice." Erza grazed out of her window absently, daydreaming of possible outcomes with her and Lucy. Sitting at a park, holding hands, and occasionally showering kisses upon each other. Or just cuddling with each other tightly, not wanting to let go. Making promises together, making memories together, doing new things together. And –

"Okay, I heard enough." Gray interrupted.

Erza turned to Gray questioningly. "Huh?"

"You were saying all of that out loud. I didn't need to hear those…" Gray blushed a little.

Erza because 50 shades of red as she realized that she had been voicing her thoughts, unbeknownst to her conscious mind. "P-Pretend you didn't hear anything…."

Gray chuckled a little. "You're secret is safe with me."

Erza forced her mind to stop working, with fear that her unconscious state of mind may betray her again. She looked down at her half-eaten strawberry, reveling in the possible chance that she could share it with Lucy.

Why is her thoughts always filled with Lucy? Is she cursed or something?

...

During the three days of train ride to the destination of their goals, their time had been constantly conveyanced with Erza knocking Natsu into a state of unconsciousness to prevent an inevitable occurrence of complaints, and idly situating themselves in askance conversation with Gray that had nothing to do with the mission. But often, very often, Lucy's name was mentioned.

On the last, intended day on the train ride to their destination, the train finally rolled to a stop. As if sensing that they had finally reached their destination, Natsu immediately got to his feet, and fire spewed out of his mouth. "I'm alive!"

Gray groaned in annoyance as the silence and peace that he had enjoyed for the past three days are now over. "Let me check your pulse then." He muttered under his breath as he walked out of the train behind Erza.

"So we are in a town right next to Edolas. Since there isn't no trains to goes through Edolas, we need to walk from here." Erza stated as she looked at a map that was situated in her hand.

"Alright! I'm all fired up! Let's find Lucy!" Natsu grinned as he started to walk in one direction.

"The path to Edolas is over here, flame-brain." Gray scowled, pointing to the direction to where Erza was already walking, flouting all aspects that did not concern her.

"Hmph. I knew that." Natsu muttered in annoyance.

* * *

The walk in general was quiet, as the aura emitted from Erza was overwhelming with the opposition of unfamiliarity and anxiety. Natsu and Gray was enormously affected and did not, for once, bother to argue with one another. They didn't want to anger the redhead anymore then she already is.

Silence, with the exception of clacking noises of their footsteps, was the only thing that accompanied the mages as they made their way to the castle of Edolas, closer to finding any leads or clues to where Lucy may be,

Closer and closer to any possible revelation that they may find, the tension of their anxiety only continued to rise and they neared the front gate of the castle stood gracefully.

Erza stopped meters away from the front gate, where there were two guards standing watch. The redhead turned around to face Natsu and Gray with a slight scowl.

"We are about enter the castle. All I am asking is for you two to keep your rivalry to a minimum and I don't want to hear any complaints or any of the like. Am. I. Clear?" Erza gave a hard, cold glare toward to the mages.

"A-Aye…" Natsu and Gray muttered, shaking a little from the hostility of their redhead companion.

"Let's go." Erza then turned back around to start walking to the castle.

Upon arriving at the giant door, the two guards situated at the entrance became aware and suspicious as they slightly tightened their grip on their weapons.

Erza ignored their tension as she neared them. "May I see the King? I need to speak to him."

"Hmm? Is the King willing to speak to anyone?" One of the guard turned to other guard next to him.

"How am I supposed to know? This is the worst possible position to be in." The other guard muttered back annoyingly.

"We need to speak to the king, He is an old friend of ours. We have important matters that we need to discuss with him." Erza cut in with haste.

"Hmm…Stay here and I'll grab the King." The guard replied before turning to the other guard. "Keep an eye out these three."

With a hesitating affirmation from the fellow guardsman, the guard disappeared behind the set of doors.

Erza, Natsu and Gray remained outside with the other guard, patiently waiting for an audience with their old friend. Erza momentarily closed her eyes to keep an incoming migraine away. Gray had his arms crossed and looked to the side. And Natsu just stood there, an expression of boredom clearly painted across his face, until a silent idea suddenly came to mind. And the guard continued to watch the mages with ounces of concern for his own safety.

"This castle is huge though." Gray decided to break the silence after a few minutes of silence, turning to face Erza.

"Hmm…I suppose." Erza responded, her eyes still close.

Not another second of silence, the mages started to look around, an sudden realization of that something was entirely wrong, extremely wrong.

Where's Natsu?

"Where the hell did he go?!" Gray exclaimed, scanning his surroundings to search for the fire dragon slayer, only to see him absent.

"That idiot…How did he even…" Erza stared at the open door and an unconscious guard laying against the it. "Idiot…" She mumbled angrily.

Gray turned to Erza, before glancing to where she was glaring at. "We need to go after him!" He cried, restraining himself from running into the castle, not entirely keen on making the redhead more angry as she was now.

"Just this once…" Erza mumbled. "Let's find him before he cause any more damage."

On that note, Erza and Gray dashed their way inside of the castle, finding numerous hallways that could lead to different locations.

"Erza." Gray motioned Erza to look at where he was glancing at.

Both mages could see trails of dropped objects and burnt marks, an obvious realization of clues that they could use to follow their friend. Erza and Gray glanced at each other for a second before following the trails.

They made many left and right turns as they relied on the broken objects that rested gracefully on the ground, and angry burnt marks on the ground as well on the walls. After making another right turn, they spotted Natsu standing still, with his head held up high, sniffing the air with concentration.

"Natsu!" Erza yelled after the mage before he could run off again.

Natsu turned around to see Erza and Gray not too far behind. He was frowning for a moment, but it quickly turned into a grin. "Took you guys forever! I'm getting close to the guy. He smells different though."

When Erza neared the dragon slayer, she mercilessly punched him in the stomach as hard as she could and allowed him to fall ungracefully to the ground. "Do not do that again, idiot." She turned to Gray with a scowl. "Carry him. We are going to find Mystogan, now that we are here."

Gray immediately submitted to the order of his companion and grabbed Natsu's scarf, opting to drag him. He started to follow Erza, according to her institution, and walked to where ever the redhead reckoned was the correct direction.

Five minutes later of debating on which path was the reoccurrence of destiny, a sudden appearance of soldiers appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the three mages, with their weapons charged and raised. The three mages halted in their strides, and started to look at each of the mages with alert in their eyes, but made no sudden movements, as to not let their chance to speak to the king go out of the window.

"Hold it right there, intruders!" One of the soldiers yelled.

Erza glanced at the spoken soldier and took a step toward him cautiously. "I request an audience with…your King. I am an old friend of him. I need to speak with him, and it's urgent."

"Yes….please…I don't want to touch this idiot any longer." Gray complained, gesturing to Natsu that still laid unconscious on the ground, hanging by his scarf, still held by the ice mage.

"The King?" The soldier murmured.

"We'll have the King visit you in the cells." Another soldier cut in.

"Whatever way will let us see the King." Erza complied, seeing that the compromise was fitting and fair enough.

"Can I get a different cell so I won't be next to this idiot?" Gray asked, gesturing to Natsu, hoping that he would at least get his wish granted.

* * *

Erza now stood, leaning against a stoned wall, and waited patiently in her cell. Gray was in a different cell, and must to his distaste, Natsu was also thrown in with him.

The mages sat in their cell in silent, waiting for their old friend to come and deliver some information that they needed to hear. Around ten minutes later, a faint clapping of footstep was registered in Erza's ears.

She turned to the source, to the entrance to where the footsteps was growing louder and louder. Then a figure entered the room.

All thoughts of opposition, unfamiliarity, uncertainty, and the apprehension that she hadn't felt for the longest time since the arrival of Lucy, it all came crashing down on her, with the weight of her anger and guilt more painful and present as she stared at the man that stood in front of the two mages, plus an unconscious Natsu on the ground.

She had never thought she would be seeing this man more sooner than she had thought. Not after what he had done to Lucy, and what he had done to her in the past of her dark childhood.

"Jellal!?" Erza narrowed her eyes at the man, wondering how the man had escaped prison.

The man before her merely shook his head. "No, that is my brother. I am Mystogan."

"Mystogan? Of Fairy Tail?" Gray crossed his arms as he approached the bar to take a better look at the 'King'.

Mystogan nodded.

Erza took a deep silent breath as she eyed the man before her, trying to let the information sink in. "So you are the King of this kingdom?" She asked, trying to act coherently as she could possibly try, trying to not her anger rise.

"That is correct." Mystogan replied, already sensing why they are here.

"Then tell us where Lucy is!" Gray cut in.

"Lucy? Why?" Mystogan turned to the ice mage.

"I heard that she had helped you reclaim this kingdom. What happened to her afterward?" Erza cut in.

Mystogan turned back to face Erza, studying her expression of all seriousness.

When he had heard the reports of intruders, and the descriptions of the intruders, he was skeptical. He didn't really believe in the words that his soldiers had delivered. So he took his chance to see these intruders.

When he had laid eyes on Erza and Gray, as well as the unconscious Natsu on the ground, he believed that a miracle had played a part in this act of their sudden appearance. His friends had returned. If only he could find a way to contact a certain person for this news.

After staying mute for a few minutes of reforming appropriate responses for the mages, she spoke up, facing Erza. "You need to know that Lucy had given up you."

"What you mean by that?" Erza frowned.

"She…believed that you had been dead. I, of course, saw through her lies as she gave that speech to the guild."

Erza looked to the ground as she clutched onto the bar with frustration. "I can see that."

"If you are asking where she is, I do not know."

"Can you elaborate on what had happened here?" Gray asked as he leaned again the bar.

Mystogan took a few minutes to recollect and conform an appropriate response, these mages deserved that much. "I had Lucy to help me to take back my kingdom that had been taken over by Zeref."

"Zeref was here?" Erza perked up.

Mystogan nodded. "Yes, my father was taken hostage by Zeref. Lucy offered to fight Zeref, whilst I fought my father. In my opinion, it was almost one-sided on Lucy's part."

"What you mean by that?" Gray intoned.

"I could tell that Zeref was pulling his punches. I may be wrong, but it was a child's play between Zeref and Lucy." Mystogan said as he recalled from the distant fight of his past.

"Why would you think that?" Erza cut in, narrowing his eyes at Mystogan.

"I honestly do not know. Maybe because the prophecy was not yet nearing its climax. So maybe Zeref was holding himself back until the time was right."

"How did you know of the prophecy?"

"I don't, Lucy wouldn't tell me. Call it an intuition on my part. This is what I figured as the battled ended between Zeref and Lucy."

"Ok, then tell me what happened to Lucy. We need to find her." Erza was growing impatient with each upcoming seconds that passed.

"All I know about her is that she was gravely injured, and she seemed extremely conflicted as Zeref fled the kingdom."

"What? Zeref fled? Why?" Gray scrunched his eyebrow in confusion.

"That's all I know. I tried talking to her, to make sure that she was okay, but she ignored me. She was pretty shaken up, and I doubt that it was from fear."

"Sounds like she had learned something important." Erza concluded, crossing her arms.

Mystogan nodded in agreement. "Yes. Then she disappeared, without telling me anything, or giving me an eye contact. That was the last I saw her. And I assumed that she had went back to Fairy Tail, so I stayed here to fix this kingdom."

After a minute of silence settled on the troubled mages, trying to let the information sink in. "And I assume that Lucy had never returned back to the kingdom?" Mystogan added questioningly.

"Why do you think that we are here?" Gray remarked.

"I see." Mystogan frowned at the ice mage with sadness.

"Okay, so let me recap." Erza spoke up with tint of frustration and annoyance in her voice. "You and Lucy went to reclaim your kingdom. You fought your father, and Lucy fought Zeref. Zeref ended up fleeing the area after injuring Lucy, and possibly revealing some information to her. And Lucy suddenly leaves without any other word. And that was the last you saw of her, correct?"

Mystogan nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry."

"What do you think Zeref had told Lucy?" Erza asked.

Mystogan remained silent for a minute, recalling the ancient battle, trying to reform an answer for his old friend, only to come up with nothing. "I'm sorry. I do not know."

Erza let out a deep frustrating sigh as she took a step backward, turning her gaze to the ground in defeat. "May we go now? I heard enough."

Mystogan gave a look of pity toward the redhead before fishing the key to the cells in his pockets. He unlocked the cell that contained Erza and then proceeded to free both Gray and Natsu. "I'm sorry for not offering any leads. I am now concerned for her as well, so please find her for me."

Erza grumbled under her breath as she stepped out of the cell. Gray started to carry Natsu and stared at Mystogan, silently gesturing him to lead them back outside.

Mystogan silently complied and started to walk out, letting Erza and follow them. The walk was silent, with Erza staring that the ground as they walked, and Gray grumbling out of annoyance as he carried Natsu.

Once outside of the castle, standing in front of the entrance of the castle, Mystogan stayed planted on the ground as he continued to watch as Erza and gray as they did not stop in their tracks.

After walking a mile away from the castle, Erza stopped dead in her tracks, her gaze still focused on the ground. Gray stopped just behind her with a questioningly, yet concerned look. "Erza?"

"Lucy may be suffering, no…she had been suffering since we've been gone." Erza muttered sadly, trembling slightly from her self-anger.

"We'll find her, and we'll make this right. Lucy's a strong girl, and I'm sure that she pulled through many tough situations." Gray gave a small smile when Erza glanced over her shoulder to look at Gray.

"I hope so."

 **A/N: What you think? Hope you liked this. Had to rewrite this couple of times (numerous times)**

 **Please review and comment on your thoughts! I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: This is sorta short, but hope ya'll still like it ^^**

 **PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur, for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the ones it loved the most  
Once friends, now enemy, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

Another week had been passed down from the undeniable defeat that Erza had felt since Mystogan had given all that she needed to know and everything that he knew. She felt like the redemption of her loyalty had faltered when she had failed Lucy, failed to come back for disappearing for seven years.

How's Lucy doing? What had she been doing all of these years? Is she okay? Is she still alive? Is she still fighting? Does she need help? Is she suffering? Had she given up?

Erza's mind was dominated by the possible situations that Lucy may be situated in, and whether it was true or not. Was Lucy fighting a fight that she may not even win? Erza was afraid if that conviction was real. And she didn't want it to be, and she needed to find Lucy before anything else happens.

Maybe she was being paranoid because of her feeling that she has for the blonde, the assumption of wanting to know where she was and how she is. But she truly wanted to validate the current situation that she was in and certify that Lucy was in no immediate danger.

Lucy doesn't deserve to struggle. She didn't deserve the loneliness that she may be feeling.

"Erza."

Erza will find Lucy and conveyance her support to her, and retain the lost connection that they may have had before they disappeared.

"Erza?"

Any possible rejoinder that Erza may had heard from the blonde, it remains unspoken, and Erza wanted to know. She wanted to know what their possible relationship may had been if they had not disappeared for seven years.

A tap was then registered on Erza's shoulder, simultaneously with a familiar voice. "Erza."

Snapping out of her deep reverie, Erza turned around to see Gray standing behind her.

"Master wants to speak with you, as well as some others. It concerns the letter that he had received not too long ago." Gray said as he watched Erza stand back to her feet.

"The letter? What you talking about?" She frowned at Gray confusingly.

Gray blinked for a moment. "Well, two officials from the king of Fiore came to deliver a letter and left."

"Did that happen?" Erza raised an eyebrow at the ice mage, not remembering any deliveries of letters or the like.

"And it seemed that someone else had been occupying your mind." Gray smirked as he crossed his arms over his bare chest, realizing what Erza had been thinking about, though he really couldn't blame her.

Erza gave a heated glare toward the ice mage. "Master wanted to see me?"

Gray nodded hesitantly, noting to himself to not make fun of Erza that concerns Lucy or the like.

Erza and gray silently made their way upstairs toward to where Makarov's office was location. After knocking and hearing the notes of affirmation, and the process of opening and closing the door behind her, Erza observed Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus Wendy, Elfman, Mira, Cana, and Juvia were near the desk of Makarov's.

Moving deeper into the room, Erza situated herself in front of the desk of Makarov. "You called for me?"

Makarov glanced at Erza for a minute before speaking. "So, this letter that had been given to me by the King of Fiore had asked me something that I couldn't really decline."

"Letter?" Erza frowned.

"Apparently, while we were gone, the King decided to host a new competition in which all legal guilds can compete for the title of the number one guild. Now, this letter here," Makarov gestured to the letter in his hand. "It seems that the King wants us to compete. He said that he would throw in extra rewards in we were to win as well." Makarov continued with glint in his eyes.

"A competition?" Erza crossed her arms.

"We will totally win this! I'm all fire up!" Natsu howled with excitement.

"It does seem fun." Gray smirked, agreeing with Natsu for once.

"Grand Magic Games. Guilds across Fiore gathers in Crocus, and compete." Makarov continued with a small smirk, a plan formed in his mind.

"And what does that has to do with us?" Erza gestured to the other members in the room.

"I had already chosen the members that will represent our guild." Makarov grinned.

"Is this really the time to be fighting in some competition?" Erza frowned. "We need to find Lucy, she may be in trouble for all we know, and we're just doing to compete in a game?" Erza allowed her voice to rise ever so slightly in frustration.

Makarov sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment glazing back at Erza. "The members I had chosen are Erza Scarlet, Natsu, Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Wendy Marvel, and Elfman Struass. I will be composing another team that will be composed of Gajeel Redfox, Juvia Lockster, Laxus Dreyer, Mira Strauss, and Cana Alberona. The competition is in three months. I expect ya'll to start training immediately."

"Master!" Erza raised her voice in anger. "I won't do this competition! I need to find Lucy!"

"Everyone, you are dismissed. I need to speak to Erza alone." Makarov said as calmly as he could.

The other members complied, leaving the room to avoid the anger of a certain redhead in the room. When silence was then present in room, with Erza standing with rage as she stared down at a tiny old man, with Makarov sitting in his chair as calmly as he could.

"I won't do this." Erza repeated.

Makarov gazed directly into Erza's eyes. "I understand how much Lucy means to you. But right now, I need you to calm down."

Erza sighed in exasperation. How her crush on Lucy had become common knowledge!? She mourned as she allowed herself to calm down to listen to what Makarov had to say.

"When they delivered this letter, they also delivered another set of letter, addressed to you." Makarov begun, picking up the aforementioned letter, and extended it toward the knight mage.

Erza blinked as she stared at the letter before cautiously grabbing it gently. Having it rest in her hands, she glared at the neatly written 'Erza Scarlet' on the front. Curiously, she turned it to the back, seeing the symbol of the royal family of Fiore.

She started to open the letter and pulled out the said letter. She didn't waste any time to start reading what it had to say.

 _Erza Scarlet,_

 _I had learned many things from you from an old friend of yours. She had told me many stories about you and your battles. I must say, I was fascinated by what she had told me. I was sad when I heard that you had 'died'. But that was five years ago._

 _I only recently heard of a recent reunion of the Fairy Tail members that had disappeared seven years ago. At first, I was skeptical and thought it to be a rumor. But then I continued to hear more and more rumors, and I started to see pictures of you, Natsu, Gray and the others. I was surprised and happy to hear that you had survived._

 _There are two reasons why I am writing to you. First, I have a sneaking suspicion that you may not want to participate in the GMG competition, and I could understand why, so I want to officially invite you and your team to participate in the game. Second, when you come, I want to speak to you privately about a certain friend of yours, Lucy Heartilfia._

 _Lucy Heartfilia is the main matter that I want to speak to you about. So please participate in this competition, and I'll tell you everything that I know._

 _From, Princess Hisui_

Erza gripped the letter in her hand tightly as she let her arm lay limp on her side. She closed her eyes to let the information sink in, relishing in the redemption of finally having a solid lead in finding Lucy.

"Erza, what did the letter say?" Makarov spoke up, observing the reaction and behavior of the redhead.

After a moment of silence between the two mages, Erza opened her eyes and gazed Makarov in the eyes. "I'll do the competition."

Before Makarov could ask what was written in the letter, Erza walked out the room, intent on training and was looking forward to meeting this Princess Hisui.

* * *

"Was that wise, Princess?" A deep voice resonated in the room as a deep calking noise made itself known.

"Yes. It's what she wanted." The girl, situated at the window turned around from viewing the horizon to glance at the white knight in the room.

"I do not mean to be rude, Princess, but, can we really trust her plan? Knowing the condition and possible scenario of Fairy Tail's action?" The white knight voiced his concern.

"I trust her, because she knows them the best. Though I do not know why she wanted to do it this way." The Princess frowned slightly, looking to the side.

The white knight marginally smiled. "Let's just hope that she knows what she's doing."

 **A/N: Hope you like this short chapter!**

 **Please review and comment on your thoughts! I don't bite!**

 **Toodles!~~**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Now...Before you read this, please take into account that this had all been planned, and please don't hate me for this.**

 **PROPHECY:**  
 **Into the future, doom shall befall**  
 **It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it**  
 **The stars of 88 must combine**  
 **Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide**  
 **A new relationship must not occur, for it will usher forth of doom for all**  
 **When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the ones it loved the most**  
 **Once friends, now enemy, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

During the three months of retribution of training for the competition, Erza only focused on two things: Lucy and her whereabouts, and the competition of which the guild is whole-heartedly excited for. She was looking forward to the seeing and being drowned in the presence of the blonde that she had so long fell in love in with.

After almost a three months of training, the participating members rewarded themselves with a day off of fun at the beach or in the town to have some fun before the competition starts.

Gray opted to remain at the beach and soak in the sunlight of the warm day, unconsciously striping in the process. Natsu ran straight into town with shouts of food, as he had not had a decent meal since the training begun, followed by his blue companion, Happy. Juvia remained at the beach, ogling the man that she admired. Gajeel continued to train, as a free day does not suit his needs. Levy went to a bookstore to find more and new books that may had been released during the 7 year time span. All of the others participating mages did what they wanted, that wouldn't bring any consequences and the like.

Erza wanted some peace and quiet after her training and went to a cliff that overlooked the sea. She stood with her head held up high, looking at the blue sky that seemed so beautiful. The wind blew past her, her hair floating in the hair for a slight moment before settling back to whence it originally was.

Times like these was the only salvation that Erza could deal with, to deal with the fact that Lucy may need her help or not, for disappearing for seven years. And she wanted to see that girl that she loved, and give her the help that she had neglected while she was gone.

"You haven't change a bit, Erza."

The sudden registration of a voice caused Erza to jump, as she was not expecting anyone to interrupt her. The redhead mage turned around and almost immediately, her shock turned to rage and anger.

"What are you doing here, how did you escape?" Erza growled as she positioned herself in defensive mode.

Jellal stood before Erza with a look of shame and guilt. "I am here to tell you couple of important things that you need to know."

"I don't care about that! How did you escape!?" Erza growled.

Jellal stared at the redhead knight for a moment before speaking. "I have matters that concerns Lucy herself, and she was also responsible for breaking me out of prison.

"What? Lucy would never break you out. I know for a fact that she hates you." Erza leered angrily.

"That is true. Lucy hates him, but we managed to persuade her." Another presence made itself known as two more figures arose from the bushes that surrounded the mages.

Erza turned to the source to find two familiar mages that she had once fought on the island. "What's you mean?"

"Ultear and I managed to track down Lucy and told her everything that had happened on the island, as well as our plan for why we need to break Jellal out of the prison." The pink haired woman, Meredy spoke with a smile.

"It went quite easy with Lucy's magic and was able to free Jellal...though he is still wanted." Ultear added.

"Lucy would never do this. What did you say to her to make her agree?" Erza frowned with doubt as she stared down at the mages before her.

"To make a long story short, after our fight with Fairy Tail, and having them beating some sense into us, we realized the errors of our ways. And we wanted to fix the things that we had done." Ultear explained.

"After couple of months that you and the others had disappeared, we had been brainstorming on what to do to fix what we had done. Then almost a year had passed, and we found a solution. But we needed Lucy and Jellal for this plan." Meredy added.

"Lucy?" Erza crossed her arms and stared at the three mages before her with narrowed eyes.

"I had long knew of the role that Lucy plays in her prophecy, and what she must do. And I know for a fact that she is looking for Zeref." Ultear said

"How do you know about the prophecy?" Erza started to grow suspicious.

"Apparently, one of our men, along with a companion that was a cursed spirit faced ya'll. It took placed in Wass forest 8 years ago. The Dark Guilds are extremely aware of what Lucy had been going after, and been keeping their eye out." Meredy answered.

"Back on topic, first we needed to talk Lucy into freeing Jellal. It took us couple of days to have her cooperate. After freeing Jellal, Lucy told us to form a guild called Crime Sorciere, and start wiping out all of the dark guilds out there, while Lucy focuses on her main goal." Ultear added.

"And the last time we seen or contacted Lucy was 3 years ago." Jellal cut in on the conservation.

"3 years? Have you tried to look for her?" Erza was growing more concerned at the mention of Lucy being missing.

"We have. But we couldn't even find a clue concerning her. But we had learned something else." Jellal spoke with an uneasiness of sorts.

Erza remained silent to hear what Jellal had to say.

"As of now, the major dark guilds are not doing anything, but they will be making their big moves. So I advise you to keep your distance from them. Worst case scenario, you could lose your life."

"I don't need you to tell me that. And why should I trust you? After everything that you had done? To Lucy? To her father?" Erza growled deeper with each word said.

"As I had said, Jellal is not to blame, I had Jellal under my control, and had him to control Jude Heartfilia and have him fight Lucy. The blame is all on me." Ultear cut in.

"Then, can you tell me what Lucy's main goal was, while you been wiping out the dark guilds?" Erza asked.

"Lucy wouldn't really tell us. Lucy kept her distance from us, and we don't blame her. But we had tracked down her past actions, to where she had been ransacking each dark guilds that we had obliterated. It seems that she had been searching for something." Jellal assumed.

"It seems that Lucy still hadn't found all of the keys...but that was years ago. I don't know if she has them all or not..." Erza muttered to herself as the information sink in.

"There are many other things that you need to know, but right now, it is not in our place to tell you." Jellal added with sadness embedded in his tone, to which Erza noticed.

"What you mean?" Erza demanded.

"Princess Hisui will be the one to tell you. We had told you everything that we had been told to tell you. We must go now." Jellal then turned and started to walk away, leaving a confused yet enrage redhead behind, not giving her time to come up with a retort.

"I wish you luck in the competition." Ultear smiled before walked away, to where Jellal had disappeared to.

"Bye Erza-san! Tell Juvia I said hi!" Meredy smiled as she ran to catch up with Ultear and Jellal.

Erza remained silent, a thousands of conflicting emotions brewing within her soul, and many more questions of doubt of the many situations. She hates it when her answers had not been answered right away.

But one questioned remained: How does Jellal fit with Princess Hisui?

* * *

Natsu walked through the streets with Happy as they continued to look for a restaurant to eat, eager to fill their hungry stomachs.

Ignoring the clambering noises of excitement and joy nearby, the dragon slayer and the exceed continued to make his way to where he believed the restaurants of delicious foods was located. Amongst the crowding population around him, Natsu suddenly froze upon smelling a familiar scent, or a scent that he had long sensed from his childhood days.

With much eagerness, the dragon slayer changed direction and made his way to where he had smelled the familiar scent, followed by a curious exceed who was trying to get the attention of the dragon slayer.

Soon, he pinpointed the scent toward a hoard of crowds in the center of the square. Wanting to get to the bottom of this familiar scent, Natsu opted to crawl underneath the onlookers and made his way into the inner circle.

Once he was within the inner circle of the hoard of onlookers, he spotted two young man. A young blonde man and a young black haired-man that seemed a bit suspicious to him. But he didn't care about that, he was more interested in the fact that they had the familiar scent of his father, Igneel.

Then the blonde man turned to see the new face of onlookers that surrounded him and grinned widely after realizing Natsu was.

"About time! I was getting a little worried about this!" The blonde mage exclaimed as he spread his arms.

"Huh?" Natsu cocked his head to the side as he rose to his full height to give the mages a better look of who they are.

"Sting, you know it isn't time yet." The black haired mage spoke in a monotone voice, indicated that he didn't want a fight.

"Nonsense, Rogue. I heard that Natsu was extremely powerful, and I wanted to check out my power on him. I want to see how powerful I had gotten." The blonde mage, Sting then turned and eyed Natsu with criticisms of doubt.

The black haired mage, Rogue only sighed at the attitude of Sting's. "It would be wiser to wait. We wouldn't want to anger our Milady."

Sting turned to face Rogue for a moment with a margin frown before turning back to Natsu. "Oh well. Anyway, I'm Sting. Nice to finally meet you Natsu. I must say, it's a great pleasure to meet you. I had always looked up to you."

Natsu blinked before smiling. "You too. Are you dragon slayers? You have the smell of a dragon scent on you."

"Yep!" Sting grinned

"Really? Do you know what happened to them?" Natsu perked up, his heart racing for the impending answer of his question.

"We killed them." Sting answered with a small smirk.

"What? How would you do that to them!? They taught you magic and raised you. Why would you kill them!?" Natsu was enraged with the thought of eliminating a parent that had looked over another and even taught them magic.

Sting didn't answer right away, only to look at his friend, Rogue first before turning back to Natsu. After another second of debating of his answer, Sting wrapped his arm around Natsu and started to whisper in his ear.

"Our dragons were sick, so they told us to kill them for couple of reasons. Rouge and I really didn't want to do it, but we had to. Otherwise out dragons would've suffer more."

Natsu turned his head to look at Sting in the eyes to look for any lies that the blonde may had allocated. Couple seconds later, he understood and his rage was diminishing. "Sorry to hear that."

Sting grinned and stepped away. "It's a thing in the past. I was told by one of my good friends to always honor them by moving forward. She even saved us from the tyranny of our past guild master."

"Really? That's good." Natsu smiled. "So what dragon slayer magic do ya'll use?"

"I'm a Light Dragon Slayer." Sting pumped his chest with a bump, bearing a proud look on his face.

"Shadow Dragon Slayer." Rouge spoke up after Sting's introduction of his magic.

"That's sounds cool! We should totally fight and see who's stronger." Natsu grinned, pumping his fist.

Sting rubbed the back of his neck. "I would love to do that, but I'm afraid that our Milady won't like this. If we get the chance, we'll totally fight during the competition!"

Natsu was a little disappointed for a moment before grinning. "I'll be looking forward for the fight then!"

"Oh! I got a great idea, Natsu!" Sting exclaimed with a playful look on his face.

"What is it?!" Natsu was already excited.

"We should do an eating competition!"

"Count me in. I will totally win this!" Natsu grinned with elated joy that he had not felt in a long time since returning from the island, also since he would be eating food.

Before Rouge could cut in and interrupt them, Sting and Natsu had already ran off to where they believed a restaurant would be. With a deep sigh, Rouge opted to stay still and watched at the figure of his fellow friend and Natsu disappearing from sight.

Rouge was in a little debate of whether to go after them and stop their ridiculous contest, or just let them be and go back to his assigned building.

* * *

After her little encounter with Jellal and the others, Erza decided to go the kingdom and talk to the Princess for what she may learn from her. And maybe she'll learn from where's Lucy is. She can only hope.

Seeing Jellal again only made her angry and unsettled more than ever. If it wasn't for what happened between him and Lucy, Erza would've taken this more easily and rationally. But she can only focus on the fact that he had hurt the girl that she loved, whether he was controlled or not.

Seeing Lucy weak and vulnerable after the whole incident made Erza guilty of not taking care of Jellal before this had all started. And she could sense how much anger and hatred that blonde had for Jellal. So she questioned on the sole reason for Lucy helping him break out of prison and working with him. She feels like there's more to this than she had been told.

Now in front of the castle of which this Princess Hisui lives, she spots two guards in front, taking duty on guarding the front. Erza made her way to them in attempt on getting to talk to the Princess.

Before she could say anything, the guards beat her to the punch by yelling and pointing their spears at her. "Halt!"

Erza complied unwillingly and stayed rigid and she glared at the men. "I have a letter stating that the Princess wishes to talk to me."

"Letter? We received no such notice. Begone, intruder!" The guard yelled.

Erza took out her letter, and waved it in front of her, becoming impatient all the while. "I need to speak to her. I have proof here. Now I suggest that you let me through or I will use force."

"We had been given orders to not let anyone through! Now leave!" The guard warned.

Several unimaginable ticks formed on Erza's forehead as her patience ran thin. She silently tucked the letter back in her pocket and was about to summon a sword to force her way through.

Before she could summon a sword, there was authorative booming sound as the door behind the guards opened. "Let her through."

The guards turned around to face the new presence as Erza slacken her movements.

At the now opened door stood a tall man in white armor.

"Arcadios!" The guards whimpered and stood to the side and bowed in respect.

The said man paid them no mind and focused on the armored girl. "Erza Scarlet. Princess has been waiting for you. Let's go."

Eagerly complying, Erza began to follow Arcadios through the many halls to where this Princess should be. The walk was silent, to which words wasn't needed to be spoken.

Couple minutes later, the armored man stopped at a giant door and turned to the armored redhead. "Please don't do anything rash. And remember that you are in the presence of the Princess."

Erza nodded as if she understood. But she honestly didn't really care. "Alright, can I go in?"

Arcadios turned to the door and knocked on the door three times, and waited until he heard an affirmative sound. Once hearing it, he opened the door and allowed Erza to walk in. "Good luck."

Erza paid him no mind and walked straight in and immediately spotted the Princess at the far end of the room. She sported a long green hair and elegant white dress.

Erza approached the Princess and stopped couple meters away to examine the Princess. The aforementioned Princess turned to the armored girl and smiled.

"Erza, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Hisui smiled.

"Likewise." Erza crossed her arms, not wanting to chitchat.

"So, I can guess that you're here for the note about Lucy, correct?" Hisui looked at Erza for confirmation.

"Yes, where's Lucy?" Erza wanted to get straight to business, no casual talking or the like.

"First...let me start from the beginning. It would make more sense to how I know her."

Erza silently sighed and gave the Princess her undivided attention.

"She came up to me around 5-6 years ago, wanting my celestial keys. She demanded that I give her my keys or we would fight for it. Of course, the whole kingdom got involved and tried to defend me. Then Lucy dragged me to a secluded area and told me some things. She told me everything concerning the prophecy and the forces of dark magic and Zeref."

"So, did you give her the keys?" Erza questioned.

"The keys were inherited by my parents, and I refused to give it away, so Lucy then promised me that she would give the keys back once this was all over."

Erza shifted her weight to her other foot and continued to stare at the green haired Princess.

"Then she decided to create an alliance, STAR Alliance. And its purpose was for the other members of the STAR Alliance to focus on stopping the smaller forces of dark guilds and subdue them while Lucy goes and focuses on her main goal."

"Who were part of the Alliance?" Erza asked.

"The majority of them are members that used to be villains." Hisui frowned, still not liking the idea of having villains in the alliance.

"Villains? Who?"

"Hmm...There's Jellal...Ultear...Cobra was it? There bunch others, but the majority of the villains are led by Jellal."

Erza stared at the Princess with doubtable expression. "Is there a reason for why Lucy allowed Jellal to work with her?"

"Yes, she told me that she needed strong opponents to fight with her. And she needed someone that she wasn't particularly friends with. I trusted her, and so I trusted the other villains for her sake."

"Make sense."

"Everything was going well and all, but couple years after the formation of the alliance, Lucy never returned from a mission."

"...What?" Erza paled and stared at the Princess in shock, already hoping that her unformed conviction was not real.

"I've sent Jellal and the others to investigate on what happened. They returned with Lucy's limp and bleeding body, and as well as her keys. I'm sorry to tell you this, but...Lucy is...dead." Hisui was now having a hard time to keep her tears away.

"What? Lucy is...Is this a joke? Because I'm not a big fan of jokes." Erza choked on air as she forced herself to remain calm.

Hisui sniffled while shaking her head. "I'm sorry but it's true. I made a grave to honor her, and we, of the STAR Alliance, will finished what she started."

"This doesn't make any sense. First Master told me that she was still alive, that she could still feel her presence." Erza intoned, trying to get to the bottom of this.

"First Master?" Hisui looked at the knight curiously. "Well, if you mean by sensing magical powers, then Lucy definitely still has some magic powers inside of her, even in death."

"Then she is still alive!"

"She is not, I'm afraid. I had the best doctors to come to the castle to save her and hope to keep her from going through the door of death. But we were too late. I'm sorry." Hisui gave the redhead a look of pity and sadness.

Erza took deep breath to calm her anxiety and rage, studying the eyes of the Princess, and the words spoken. So far, she couldn't find any lies.

"H-Her keys...where are they?" Erza finally spoken after a few minutes of silence.

"I had distributed four of the keys to Yukino, and another four the one of the Villains. So far, they had been extraordinary in our fight against the forces of darkness and Zeref."

"Give them back." Erza demanded with a low tone of anger and sorrow.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that." Hisui replied with a straight tone.

"They belong to Lucy! Give them back!" Erza shouted, glaring at the green haired Princess.

The Princess was not fazed by the glare that she was receiving from the redhead, and shook her head all the while. "I'm sorry, but we need them to stop Zeref.

"Then let me join this alliance. I will help finish what Lucy started." Erza stared at the Princess with determination.

Hisui gulped silently. "I'm sorry, but Lucy plainly made it clear while she was still alive. That she wanted anyone from Fairy Tail, or anyone that had been associated with Fairy Tail to keep their distance from the object of the battles that Lucy must fight. Only a few chosen by Lucy herself can be part of the alliance.

"She's no longer here. So let me be part of it." Erza persisted.

"True, but my answer remains the same. I order you and the rest of Fairy Tail to stay out of trouble and do not get mixed up in their battles. Fairy Tail have no rights to meddle in our affairs." Hisui begun to tremble slightly.

Erza sank to her knees and tears begun to freely flow out of her eyes, down her cheeks, and falling ungracefully onto the floor. "Lucy didn't deserve this. She didn't need to be alone...Lucy..."

Hisui covered her mouth, realizing the view that she was seeing, tears forming out of her own eyes. Guilt and sadness was all that the Princess could feel. "I'm sorry Erza. She was my friend too...If...I could fight, I would...I'm so sorry Erza."

 **A/N: Angsty huh? Sorry about that.** Please don't kill me

 **Please review and common on your thoughts! I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: The assumption of Lucy really being dead is really making me shocked. I'm surprised that many people would actually believe that I had killed off Lucy. First off, I had made many hints, too many to count in the previous chapters after the missing Fairies had returned.**

 **So...LUCY IS NOT DEAD!**

 **I had this totally planned out and all! So please don't think that I wouldn't do this to Lucy, or to Erza. This is erlu that we're talking about. There's no erlu if one of them dies. So, please take my word that** **NEITHER** **Lucy** **OR** **Erza will die in this story! Erlu** **WILL** **live!**

 **PROPHECY:**  
 **Into the future, doom shall befall**  
 **It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it**  
 **The stars of 88 must combine**  
 **Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide**  
 **A new relationship must not occur, for it will usher forth of doom for all**  
 **When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the ones it loved the most**  
 **Once friends, now enemy, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

The day of the competition starts tomorrow, and Erza really wasn't feeling the spirit of competing. Right now, she knelt before the grave of what should be Lucy's, and she could definitely feel the emitting power of what Lucy had, and it feels so familiar.

On the grave, Erza kept rereading the engraved words that she could clearly read: _The Most Honorable Celestial Mage. Lucy Heartfilia was a force not to be reckoned with. X789_

If that dragon had not appeared...Erza could've come back and not given Lucy all the sorrow that she may had felt. Lucy wouldn't be struggling...

She haven't told the others about Lucy yet. Not yet. Although she was on the brink of revealing what she had learned, she couldn't gather enough courage to do so, seeing the enthusiastic joys of the members as they await for the looming competition of the guilds. Erza didn't want to destroy the morals that they had.

"I swear...whether they like it or not...I'm going to help with this prophecy of yours. I'll fight your fight and win the war for you." Erza muttered to herself, resolving that she will finish what Lucy had started, whether the members of the STAR Alliance likes it or not.

* * *

The first day of the competition went...well...not in Fairy Tail's favors. Considering how this was the first time that Fairy Tail had even participated in the competition, and the long lost members of the guild had struggled with the new technologies and the accommodations of how it had been set. This inevitably led to the defeat of the first day.

Much to the content of the guild, the onlookers were cheering them on, as they had missed and looked forward to the participations of the infamous guild. The defeat of a few members meant nothing to them, and they was looking forward to more fights.

After the first day of the competition, the guild got together for a party to wash away their defeat and try again the next day. Alcohol works wonders in some of the members favors it seems.

...

The next day of the competition was quite 'wild' as some would say. The race between three dragon slayers were quite competitive and friendly, as Natsu and Sting was cheering for one another, while Gajeel was cursing at them.

Then there was a battle between Bacchus and Elfman. It was quite amusing and suspenseful to watch, as the underdog of Fairy Tail managed to win at the last second.

The next battle instigated between Jenny of Blue Pegasus and Mira of Fairy Tail. It all started with a friendly competition of showing off their bodies and trying to best each other. Then towards the last couple minutes, Jenny prepared a 'trap' and betted on that the loser will be showing up on the magazine in their birthday suit. Mira eagerly complied and decided to take things up a notch.

The last battle between the two involved magic of their specialty and Mira was able to take out her opponent.

Then there's the last battle, which put so many of the members of Fairy Tail on the edge of their seats. They never expected to come across another one, as they had not even heard of another possessing the keys of what should've belong to Lucy.

Yukino of Sabertooth stood in the arena, facing Kagura of Mermaid Heels. It remained unknown to what kind of magic both girls used until they actually pertained it.

"Open, the Gate of Pisces! Pisces!" Yukino chanted, followed by the appearance of two fishes already targeting the opponent of the celestial wizard.

"What!" The shout of a certain dragon slayer could be heard as he continued to watch the fight. "What the hell!? That's Lucy's keys! Why does this girl have it!?" Natsu roared angrily, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

Although Erza had already knew about the distribution of the keys, but it didn't stop her shock of seeing it in action, also serving as the truth of the convictions that she had been told.

"Erza! Maybe this woman knows where Lucy is!" Natsu screamed, trying to get the attention of the redhead.

"We'll talk to her after the competition. For now, let's watch the fight." Erza's eyes never left the battle, training her eyes on the spirits which had belonged to Lucy, trying to ignore Natsu all the while.

Back to the battle between Yukino and Kagura, the celestial wizard had summoned another spirit, Libra for her gravity magic. The fight seemed intense, yet one-sided on Yukino's part. After summoning a third spirit, Kagura landed her last attack that seemed to end the battle immediately.

After the last battle between the celestial spirit and the swordswoman, Natsu immediately made his move by jumping into the arena and approached Yukino, demanding answers for where his blonde companion was, soon followed by Gray and Erza

"Where's Lucy?!" Natsu roared as soon he was within hearing range of the celestial spirit.

Yukino instinctively turned toward the shout and saw an enraged Natsu running her way, followed by Erza and Gray. "Huh?"

"Those are Lucy's keys! Why do you have them?" Gray cut in before Natsu could yell again.

Yukino eyed the boys before turning to Erza, already knowing that she knew what had happened. "It was given to me."

"Liar! You stole it!" Natsu roared, attempting to try and snatch the keys away from the celestial wizard.

A hard, armored fist was then met with the top of Natsu's head, sending the pink haired mage toward the ground with a loud crack. "Lucy gave it to you, correct?" the redhead asked, not worried about the dragon slayer's injuries.

Yukino didn't say anything at first before nodding her head in affirmation.

"And can I assume that you are part of the STAR Alliance?" Erza continued with her questions

Yukino gave the redhead a look before nodding.

Erza sighed and turned around, grabbing the collar of both Natsu's and Gray's shirt and started to drag them back to their respective place.

"Oi! What the big deal! She has Lucy's keys!" Natsu struggled against the grip of Erza's.

"And why does it sound like you knows where she is!?" Gray retorted, trying not to hurt himself.

Once they were back to their assigned place, Erza let her grip of the boys slacken and turned around to face them.

"Lucy lent the keys to Yukino to fight for the war." Erza lied.

"Oh. Why didn't you say so?" Natsu grinned as he got back to his feet.

"And what's this about the STAR Alliance?" Gray asked once he rose to his full height.

Erza sighed and crossed her arms. "It's something that Lucy created while we were gone."

"I see. Well, anyway, the last battle is finished, so let's party!" Natsu wrapped his arm around Gray and started to drag him to where he believed food would be.

Erza watched as the boys disappeared through the crowds of a growing crowd, assumingly looking for food.

...

Erza lied. She lied that Lucy was still alive, and she knows how wrong it was. But...she assumed that it wasn't the time to be sprouting the horrid truth that may have an negative effect on the morale of the Fairy Tail members.

During the rest of the games, Erza forced herself to fight for the guild, and to get this over with so she could try to help finished what Lucy had started.

Lucy's legacy hadn't ended yet, and it won't start now.

On the third day, Erza fought 100 monsters by herself, then she watched Cana obliterate the MPF using Fairy Glitter, to which the First Master Mavis had allowed her to use it. Then she watched Laxus easily takes out an entire team, including the master, after cheating through some illusion. The last match of the third day included the match between Wendy of Fairy Tail and Chelia of Lamia Scale.

A fight of tiny fists with a vast heart for their own guild. In the end, neither of them won and ended in a draw, but Erza could sense that something else had been won. Friendship.

Afterwards, Fairy Tail got together again and partied to relieve their stress.

The fourth day, this only included the two versus two per each guild in a span of 30 minutes. Because of the elimination of a guild that had cheated the day before, Fairy Tail had been given orders to combine into one to keep an even number of teams for the competition.

The fights between the guilds were ordinary and not all that suspenseful and exciting. But the one that everyone had been excited for was the fight between the dragon slayers.

Sting and Rouge from Sabertooth and Natsu and Gajeel from Fairy Tail were the last match of the day, and the most anticipated battle.

"Oi! Natsu!" Sting grinned as he faced Natsu and Gajeel.

"Hey, Sting!" Natsu grinned back.

Rouge remained silent, and Gajeel just scowled.

"Hey! I have a great idea! Whoever loses has to treat the winner some food!" Natsu grinned evilly.

"Sounds great!" Sting pumped his fist. "Rouge, are you ready to kick some ass?"

"Yes." Rouge replied, staring at Gajeel, intent on knocking him out.

Silence ensued as the countdown to the beginning of the battle started. Once the battle had started, Natsu and Gajeel made their first moves and started to lay their attacks down upon their opponent.

The battle between the dragon slayers were magnificent and clearly painted the difference between ordinary magic and dragon slaying magic. Through some resistance by both parties, and unleashing their deep power, the battle intensified through means of the unimaginable.

In the end, after overpowering their opponent through their feelings, Natsu and Gajeel was left standing with a huge grin painted on their face, victory already won.

"Heh..." Sting huffed while he laid on the ground, never feeling so alive, despite being defeated. "She was right..."

Natsu turned to his friend with a questioning look. "Who?"

"Lucy had been right all along." Sting smiled.

Natsu immediately grabbed Sting's collar and brought him close. "Where is she?! "

"Huh?"

"Lucy. Where is she!?" Natsu repeated, ignoring everything around him, only focusing on Sting and for what he has to say.

Sting didn't say anything at first. "Do you trust her?"

Natsu slackened his hold on Sting's collar. "Of course I do."

"Then that's all you need to do. Just trust her." Sting smiled reassuringly.

Natsu released Sting and stepped away, repeated Sting's words. Of course he trust Lucy, and of course he trust Sting.

"Then, tell me. Is Lucy ok?" Natsu asked.

Sting frowned for a moment and standing up and whispering something in Natsu's ear.

After a few more moments, Sting stepped backwards and grinned. "Just don't tell anyone I told you this. Milady will kill me if I told you this."

Natsu only stared at Sting for a moment before grinning.

The conservation between the two dragon slayers remained unknown, and Natsu kept his word and remained silent on the subject.

..

Today was the last day of the competition, and this last battle of all guilds will determine the Number 1 Guild of all Fiore.

The battles had been interesting, and suspenseful between the six guilds. Thanks to the assistance of the First Master, everything had been drawn out, and carefully calculated to ensure the victory of Fairy Tail.

After the long battles between the occupants of each guilds, and the accommodations of the plans made, Fairy Tail had emerged victorious with all members intact and enabled.

A loud cheer followed after the announcement of the victory and wide grins and tears could be seen on the faces of Fairy Tail mages.

Fairy Tail had won, and it had been quite a journey in a 5 days span.

* * *

The Kingdom of Fiore had hosted a huge ball to celebrate the new Number 1 Guild, as well as congratulating the guilds that had participated in the competition.

All of the members had accepted the proposal and attended the formal party. Everyone but Erza.

As much as Erza was happy to see that her guild had won, she didn't really want to celebrate just yet. Perhaps when Zeref had been obliterated.

Right now, the knight sat in front of Lucy's grave and remained silent and still, not wanting to disturb the peace that surrounded the grave.

Silence was what Erza wanted, and peace was she needed to calm her mind and her broken spirit.

She misses Lucy, and she wants to see her again...Perhaps this is this punishment that she gets for leaving the blonde girl alone for 7 whole years.

But Erza will not let Lucy be laid to rest just yet, not until she finishes what she had started, and she intends on doing it no matter what, and nothing will get in her way, even her favorite cake.

 **A/N: DONE!**

FYI, the reviewing section is not working, so I am unable to read and respond to most of the reviews, so please wait until I am able to see them and respond when I have the ability to do so.

 **Please review and comment on your thoughts of this story. Kinda boring I know, but I needed this chapter done so I can continue with the story :3**

 **AGAIN...LUCY IS NOT DEAD (otherwise, I need to beat some sense into you for believing this)** Just to clear out the misconception of the death of one of my favorite characters, much less my favorite ship.

 **Toodles!~~**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I hope you got the message in the last chapter, that Lucy is not dead. Keep this in mind that Lucy or Erza will not die in this story. (I kinda [NEED] need these two if I want erlu)**

 **PROPHECY:  
Into the future, doom shall befall  
It is up to the chosen 5 to help the wizard of light to stop it  
The Stars of 88 must combine  
Revelation of the stars and knight shall collide  
A new relationship must not occur, for it will usher forth of doom for all  
When myth becomes truth, a naked star shall sacrifice the ones it loved the most  
Once friends, now enemy, the wizard of light and darkness shall meet**

 **Please enjoy?**

After the whole ideal of the victory over the competition, the members of Fairy Tail made their way back to their guild, only to see that a present had been waiting for them.

The whole town had contributed one way or another and upgraded the guild of Fairy Tail. It was grander and it stood proudly in the town of Magnolia. The members rejoiced, for that they had been missed, and that they have the support of the town that they represent.

After couple of days of extended partying in the guild to accommodate for their victory, the members decided to resume their daily missions and normal activities and the like. And this was the marking point to which Erza will begin her self-mission of finishing what Lucy couldn't do before she had died.

Natsu and Gray continued their bickering and intense rivalry, but the redhead paid them no heed as she stalked to the request board to find anything that might concur either a direct or indirect connection to dark magic or Zeref himself.

Before Erza could reach out and grab one of the requests that had caught her interests, she heard a demanding voice from behind.

"Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Wendy. Please come here." Makarov spoke as he held a piece of paper in his hand as he sat on the bar.

Reluctantly, Erza turned around and approached Makarov, followed by the curious mages of Wendy, Gray, and Natsu.

"I have a request regarding all of you. It also had asked for Lucy, but she's not here, so I'm sure we can do it without her." Makarov grumbled the last part as he stared at the piece of paper.

A pang of guilt was felt in Erza's heart, as she had not told the rest of the guild about the condition of the blonde mage, but she continued to keep quiet.

"The name of the client is Warrod Cken and had requested for you to complete a mission." Makarov then paused then reread the name again, his shock become more visible.

"What is it?" Erza asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Warrod Cken, ranked 4th amongst the ten Wizard Saints, one of the four heavenly kings of Ishgal." Makarov finally spoke in a stern, yet shocked tone of voice.

"What?" Erza's eyes widened at that revelation of occurrence.

Numerous amounts of collective gasps was heard across the guild, while Natsu and Gray remained quiet in a state of silent shock.

Why would a Wizard Saint request help, requesting help from a destructive guild?

* * *

"You ate my meat, didn't you?!" Natsu roared angrily, glaring at Gray as they walked toward the direction of their client's house.

"As if I eat something you touched!" Gray retorted back, disgusted to even think about eating after Natsu.

"And put on some clothes!"

"The color of your hair makes my eyes hurt! Do something about it!"

Erza sighed tiredly, not liking the disturbance of the two boys that they are making. "Is this really the time to be fighting?"

"It is quite amusing to say the least…" Wendy smiled nervously as she looked back to see the boys fighting verbal with each other.

"Things never change." Erza murmured.

"Why don't you get eaten by Erza!?"

"You can go cover yourself in Erza's shit!"

"Now I'm being insulted?" Erza growled, raising her hand, intent on knocking them into the world of common sense and courtesy. And she would've given them a beating if Wendy had not spoken up so suddenly.

"Over there! Our client's house!" Wendy pointed to a house up the hill while holding a map in her other hand.

Erza sighed and turned around to see house up the hill. "The house of Warrod Cken." She murmured with anticipation of meeting one of the great wizards.

"Let's go!" Natsu immediately cheered with fire spewing out of his mouth as he made his way to the house.

The other mages soon followed the dragon slayer and noted how the door was already open. They casually made their way into the house.

"Excuse me." Wendy called out.

"We're mages form Fairy Tail." Erza added.

"Shh, quiet." A shushing sound was heard from the back of the room. The mages turned their eyes to where the sound was heard and noted a weird figure watering the plants. "The plants likes silence. If you can comprehend that, then shut those annoying mouth." The figure begun with a stern tone

The mages remained quiet, not wanting to anger one of the Wizard Saints.

Then the figure turned around with a grin and a smile. "It was a joke! A joke! The plants and flower love human voices!"

Erza and the others slumped in shock for a moment while the man laughed at his own joke.

"What?" Natsu sweatdropped.

"He's supposed to be some badass dude?" Gray questioned.

After laughing, the man looked at them with a serious look. "Thank you for coming. Is this Natsu-kun and Gray-kun? They're more cattish than I expected!" The man spoke with shock while holding both Happy and Carla.

The four mages stood rigid, sweating bullets, wondering if they had indeed came to a wrong place.

"I'm joking! It was a joke!" The man let the cats down and laughed at his own joke. But the other mages were not amused, not in the least.

"My apologies, but are you Warrod Cken-sama of the Then Wizard Saints?" Erza asked, wanting to get straight to business and not joke around."

"Certainly! Indeed, I am Warrod Cken." Warrod spoke with determination for the first couple of seconds. "It's a joke."

The mages let out shocked expression, realizing that they had come across the wrong place.

"…It would be a joke if it was a joke." Warrod added with a playful expression, which caused the mages to slump in shock.

"This guy…really takes it out of you." Gray mumbled to himself, already tired and wanting to go home.

…

After being debriefed on their mission of saving a village that had been iced, the mages had to explain to Warron on why Lucy wasn't present. Warrod was quite understanding and understood the situation of Lucy being missing, though Erza begged to differ.

Out of his generosity, Warrod used his green magic and summoned a gigantic tree and sent the mages flying toward to the destination of the Sun Village that was currently iced in an unknown substance of magic, unordinary ice magic as Warrod had stated.

"Bueh…" Natsu groaned after getting off of the tree, realizing that it was also transportation, although he had quite enjoyed the ride of it…

"We've arrived." Gray pointed out, already seeing the hints of ice in the distance.

"What amazing magic!" Wendy exclaimed

"That was certainly fast." Erza commented as she looked around.

"Even the rocks are frozen." Carla examined.

"The village is just ahead, right?" Happy asked.

To answer Happy's question, the mages made their way toward the ice covered village and try to find some sort of solution to fix the village.

Only one thing that made the mages confused, was that they couldn't find anybody in the streets. "According to Warrod-sama, even the people were iced. But I don't see any." Erza mumbled as she looked around.

Not another second, Natsu started to scream at the top of his lungs in shock. "HUGE! HUGE! HUGE!" The dragon slayer was waving his arms around as he begun to see more of the gigantic people that had been iced. "This was a village of giants!?"

The mages turned their attention up higher in the sky, and could verify that this indeed was a village of the giants. Gray felt a wave of nostalgia, giants encased in ice is something that made Gray uneasy, mostly because of his past.

"Who knew that such giant humans existed…" Erza mumbled as she looked at each of the giants that she could find.

"They even had a dog!" Wendy pointed at one that sported the appearance of a dog, but Carla questioned if it really was a dog or not.

"And to help them out…" Natsu grinned as he walked to the foot of a giant and placed his hand on it, activating his fire magic, hoping to melt the ice.

"Go, Natsu! Go!" Happy cheered.

Less than 5 seconds later, Natsu sat on the ground, feeling defeated. "It's tougher than I thought."

"Aye." Happy sat next to Natsu, also feeling defeated.

Carla sighed. "You didn't accomplish anything…"

Gray then walked up the foot of the giant and placed his hand on the giant. "That wood guy did tell us that this wasn't normal ice…" Focusing on the ice that was in contact with his hand, he noticed something, and it felt so familiar. "What's up with this ice? It's magic I never sensed before."

"You can't melt it with you magic either?" Erza crossed her arms, wanting to get this job over with so she could go straight to searching and finishing what Lucy couldn't finish.

"This ice reminds me of someone else's magic." Gray frowned.

"Oh my! Someone got here before us?" A new note of unfamiliarity was registered from behind, alerting most of the mages. "Well, this isn't good."

"It's super filled with just kids and chicks!" Another voice noted with his arms crossed.

"Dun. Dun."

"And you are…" Erza grew a tick on her forehead, not wanting to have any interference with this mission. She wanted to complete this mission as fast as she could.

"A treasure hunter guild." The first man begun.

"Forget I asked." Erza interrupted with a growing hint of anger and impatience. "Leave this place now."

"Now, listen here, girlie! We are here for the eternal flame, one of the greatest treasure, and we will get it." The first man said with a frown of being interrupted.

"Don't care why you need it. But we won't let you get it, and second, you are interfering with our mission."

"Does it look like we care?" The second man grinned.

"Dun. Dun."

"Natsu. Gray. Do me a favor and knock these men senseless." Erza ordered as she turned to the aforementioned mages.

Both Natsu and Gray pumped their fists as grinned, eagerly complying with the demand of the redhead.

"Wendy, you go with them as well. I will continue to investigate this area." Erza added as she turned to face the petite dragon slayer.

Wendy complied and followed the two mages that had already made their way to beat the three men that dared to interrupt their investigation.

Once the mages were gone, Erza turned and walked deeper in the village and started to scan the giants, trying to find some sort of clues that could save these giants.

The redhead mage had concluded that the giants were trying to defend something, as they held weapons in their hands, all facing the same directions. And she had also concluded that the eternal flame, the treasure of the Sun Village must be what the giants were protecting.

Then she felt something, something felt odd. Her armor suddenly became too big for her, and her clothes also became too big and loose on her. She quickly turned to the closest ice to look at herself and was shocked.

How did Erza turn into a child?

"Wha…What is this!? I've turned into a child…" Erza cried as she looked at her reflection.

Erza started to feel her face, definitely feeling that it had changed. Then she moved her hands to her chest, seeing that her chest had been reduced in size.

"What's going on!?" Erza started to freak out, not wanting to start her childhood phase all over again. "I need to get back to normal!"

But what worried the mage the most was whether she could still use magic. If not, then how could she fight for the legacy of Lucy's?

Erza clenched her fists as she focused the magic that she had and tried to summon a sword. It was rather difficult to summon a simple sword, as the magic usage had increased, with the addition of speed of ex-quipping slowing down.

"My, my. To see the Fairy Queen in such a sorry state." A voice was registered as a figure made itself known.

Erza turned toward the source, only to see one of her old competitors that she had fought the in GMG.

"Minerva? What are you doing here?" Erza asked.

"Me? Well, I'm on a job. But the real question is what are you doing here?"

"A job as well…"

"Well, whatever the job is, I suggest that you leave. This is no place for a Fairy to wonder about." Minerva said.

"Huh? I'm here to save this village and the giants. I won't be leaving anytime soon. Though I would like to leave as soon as possible…" Erza mumbled the last sentence to herself.

"Oh, these giants? Don't worry, they are in capable hands."

"I don't recall Sabertooth having the resources to fix problems of this scale."

"Sabertooth? True. But the STAR Alliance sure have its resources." Minerva smirked.

"STAR Alliance!? You're part of it?" Erza questioned.

"So is Sting and Rouge. And I'm sure Hisui had told you to keep your distance from the affairs of STAR Alliance's activities."

"Yes, she told me about it, and I plan to go against it. I will help one way or another." Erza glared at Minerva, not intent on backing down for whatever reason.

"Oh? Well, I do have permission to attack those who go against us, and you are one of those people." Minerva smirked.

"I'm going to finish what Lucy started, and I will do it till I die!"

Minerva remained silent for a moment, a small smile tugging at her lips in amusement. "So…You like Lucy, huh?"

Erza blushed, wondering how so many people already knows about her crush. "So what? She's dead."

"Really? Ever thought of finding someone else to love?" Minerva playfully smirked.

"Don't even dare." Erza glared at the mage before her, enraged that Minerva would even tell her to love someone else. As if. Lucy was the only on for her, even in death.

Minerva silently snickered. "Fine. Then leave and I'll stop talking about this. Members of STAR Alliance will fix this problem and return this village to normal."

"I'm afraid that I cannot do that." Erza declared, not planning on leaving anytime soon, not after she finishes the job. She wouldn't want to disgrace the name of Fairy Tail, especially when her client were one of the Wizard Saints.

"You really need a new wardrobe stylist." Minerva spoke with a grin.

"Huh?" Erza frowned before looking down to see that her body had returned to normal, and her bottom half is completely exposed.

"Looks like he had been eliminated." Minerva smirked. "Everything's going to plan…except that you Fairies are here."

"What's wrong with us being here?" Erza frowned as she re-quipped into a new set of armor to accommodate her lost clothing.

"Our plan had been set with the right variables and the equation had been completed. However, you are the extra variable that will ruin the plan. All I ask you is to leave and do you daily routine of whatever you Fairies do." Minerva raised her hand, readying herself to attack, according to her orders.

But, before Minerva could cast a spell, or before Erza could even counter attack, there was a moment of sudden magic was felt as both Erza and Minerva was sent back into their childhood state.

"What the hell!? What are those imbeciles doing!?" Minerva cursed under her breath when she realized her current state.

Erza gritted her teeth. "I don't know who else is supposed to be here with you. But if my guess is right, Natsu and Gray are doing their job properly."

"How dare you!" Minerva launched herself at Erza, retorting to a tiny physical attack, knowing that her magic reserve is restrained and limited.

Erza easily complied to the physical fight, and wrestled with the black haired mage. She won't back down from this, and she will fight for Lucy. Minerva or the members of STAR Alliance will not get in her way.

Couple minutes later, the two mages took their distance to take a breather and temporarily rest. Not another second, their bodies went through another change to which their bodies had returned to normal.

"Hopefully he's been done for." Minerva muttered as she fixed her clothing.

Erza immediately reequipped into a set of armor. "I'm sure we can talk this out. I know that we can work together."

Minerva started at Erza for a moment before smirking. "If she had allowed that, then we wouldn't be in this state, wouldn't you agree?"

Erza sported a questionable look. "Huh?"

"Is it really that important right now?"

Before Erza could respond to her, there was a loud explosion in the distance, at the base of the mountain.

"What's that?" Minerva turned to the source of the explosion.

Erza only smiled. "Natsu…He's the only one that could make such a mess. Do your men make this much mess?"

Minerva turned back to the redhead knight. "Sting can be extremely reckless. But he had a different job to do rather than fight."

"Oh? Still doubt that we would get in your way?"

"Even if you could fight with us, it still doesn't change the fact that your presence will change our course of action. We don't have the resources to implement you into our equation."

Erza scowled.

In the corner of the mages eyes, they noticed ice that surrounded them begun to melt.

"The ice is melting…" Minerva muttered as she looked around.

"They did it." Erza smirked.

"I suppose." Minerva frowned as she turned back to Erza. "Let's end it here. Let's hope that this is the last time we meet, for your sake." She then turned and left in hurry without any word or glance, leaving Erza alone.

Erza scowled, still will not relent to the will of the STAR Alliance keeping them away. She will help them one way or another. Whether they liked it or not.

* * *

Redeeming and saving the village of the Sun Village was a success on the Fairies part. However, upon the STAR Alliance's role in that situation was also a success, yet risky.

Minerva, Sting, and Rouge walked in the castle of Fiore and made their way to where Princess Hisui could be found almost 24/7.

"Natsu was badass!" Sting exclaimed as they walked toward their destination.

"If Gajeel was there, then it could've been done faster." Rouge mumbled.

Sting and Rouge continued to talk about the battle at the Sun Village and the demons that they had come across, while Minerva remained quiet and amused.

When they reached their destination, Minerva didn't bother to open the door and slammed the door open, alerting the occupant that was inside the building.

Princess Hisui immediately stood up with shock from the sudden noise and soon relaxed when she found that it was Minerva and the twin dragons.

"Did it work?" The Princess asked.

Minerva smirked. "All gone according to plan. Convincing Silver to freeze the village was a success, and luring Warrod to the village was a major success. Let's hope that Lucy won't find out."

"Or read our minds." Sting added.

"How can we hope to hide this?" Rouge crossed his arms.

Princess walked up to the three mages. "Let's just hope. We need the Fairies, and I don't understand why Lucy can't understand that."

"I'll tell you why…Lucy's don't want to put them in harm's way." Sting said.

"When is she coming back from that job with Jellal and the others?" Minerva questioned to anyone that may know the answer.

"Not for couple of days. I asked Jellal to stall her so we can complete this mission flawlessly." Princess Hisui answered.

"Do you think Lucy will kill us if she finds out what we just did?" Sting asked.

"She wouldn't have a problem killing those that used to be villains, like Jellal. But I don't know what she'll do to us." Minerva frowned.

"Well, only one way to find out, and hope that we don't need to find out what she'll do." Rouge intoned.

"Anyway, mission accomplished. We need the Fairies help. And we are getting it." Hisui smiled.

 **A/N: Honest truth? I wasn't planning on adding the last part. But I had this sudden idea of adding this last part, seeing that it was appropriate and that it flows with this story. Hope this clears up the misunderstanding, and any negative assumptions of what you previously believed. [I'm honestly still am shocked, but I guess this is human nature, so...]**

 **Please review, comment on your thoughts. I don't bite~~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I wasn't planning on updating this story for a while. Why? Because the mange decided to throw me off: Erza's mom, and poor Wendy. I wonder what would happen to Wendy... O.O I cry**

 **But, then I got some cool ideas, and this chapter was my result. How does Lucy V.S. Jackal sounds? But it would more epic than the one in the manga or anime. ;)**

 **Please enjoy?**

"Lucy will be here tomorrow, and Jellal will be here today." Hisui murmured as she looked at the reports from Minerva and the Twin Dragons on their last mission at the Sun Village.

"Wait, why is Lucy coming back a day later? I forgot." Sting asked as he leaned back in his seat.

"I remember her saying something about meeting the council for some warning that she needed to tell them." Hisui frowned.

"Now she plans on telling them?" Minerva crossed her arms as she stood between Sting and Rouge.

"Do you know what it's about?" Rouge asked.

"Something that the council should never have the authority to have." Minerva muttered.

The Twin Dragons looked at each other for a moment before looking back at Minerva. "If it's something that bad, then why did she wait for so long?"

"She needed more information. She needed evidence that the enemy wanted their weapon, and she needed to convince them to destroy the weapon until the enemy could take it."

"Why would the council needs evidence? I'm sure they trust Lucy." Sting crossed his arms.

Minerva turned to face the dragon slayer. "I'm sure you know that Lucy has trust issues. She doesn't trust anyone, even the council. She only told me fragments of this, and I was able to piece in the missing pieces. And if my assumption is correct, and if the weapon falls in the enemy's hands, then we need the Fairies' help."

Sting frowned. "I don't see how powerful this weapon is…And I don't know what it can do to us, but if you believe in this, then I'll believe in this as well. Plus, we get to see Natsu again!" He grinned.

Hisui stood up to her feet. "In any case, the mission is going rather successfully. We need to proceed to Plan C. Agreed?"

All three mages consecutively agreed with grins painted on their faces.

"Alright! Hopefully we get to fight this time!" Sting pumped his fists.

"You were supposed to fight in the Sun Village! Why didn't you do anything?" Minerva scowled at the light dragon slayer.

Sting nervous chuckled. "I was…sort of…in awe on how Natsu fought."

"Rouge was the only one that managed to do his job properly! Helping by convincing the devil ice slayer to ice the village and lure the Wizard Saint." Minerva frowned how different the twin Dragons are.

"Can we just get on with Plan C already?" Rouge mumbled, not wanting to hear his milady and his friend arguing.

Hisui lightly chuckled as she grabbed a sack of paper that laid silently on the table. "According to Lucy, The council members are their main targets. Lucy is still trying to figure on why they are their main targets."

"So we need to make sure that we guard all of the council members, correct?" Rouge questioned.

"But Lucy's at the council right now. I'm sure that she can protect them." Sting replied.

"We can only hope for the best." Hisui truly hoped that things won't go south.

Couple seconds later, the door opened, revealing Jellal in his cloak.

"Jellal! You're back!" Hisui said.

Jellal only let out a deep sigh. "Yeah I am. Did the plan succeed?"

"Yep. Now we're going to Plan C" Hisui responded.

Jellal nodded as he walked closer to the mages. "Let's hope that this works. And hope that Lucy don't know what we're doing."

"Lucy being able to read our minds, truly a formidable opponent." Minerva crossed her arms.

"And I thought Doranbolt could do magic like those. I'm surprised." Sting mused.

"Doranolt can't read minds. He can only alter the memories of his opponents." Rouge spoke up, correcting Sting, who merely 'tched' at his friend.

Hisui shook her arms. "Let's just hope that Lucy can convince Doranbolt to alternate the memories of the higher ups so we can get rid of the weapons."

"That Doranbolt is quite fishy in my opinion." Minerva confessed.

"I agree." Sting added.

"Anyway, how are the mission Cobra and the others went to complete?" Hisui spoke up as she looked at Jellal, changing the subject so they won't get too off topic.

The mages turned to Jellal for the report of the mission, knowing how Jellal was given the tasks of being in charge of the villains.

"I received the reports yesterday, and it seems that all Dark Guilds are almost subdued. We may be able to complete the mission of taking out Tartaros without much casualties." Jellal reported.

"Without casualties… Lucy is trying so hard to prevent those…" Minerva frowned.

Hisui nodded. "Lucy's heart is in the right place, but her methods are…well…not well thought out."

Minerva was about to say something, but the door exploded, revealing a familiar figure wrapped in a white cloak that the mages knew all too well.

"Lucy?"

Hisui sighed at the broken properties. "What happened?"

Lucy didn't say anything at first. She responded by walking deeper into the room with a grim look on her face. When Lucy walked deeper into the room, it was evident that there was blood coated all over the blonde, and her cloak was also in tatters, with an addition of an expressionless expression on Lucy's face.

"Lucy?" Hisui hesitantly called out, afraid of what had happened.

"What happened?" Sting asked with a curious tone as she observed each spots of blood that liberated Lucy's body.

Lucy ignored them and walked passed them, intending on going back to her room to clean up. But she was stopped by Minerva stepping in her tracks, who sported a small scowl.

"It would be nice if you could tell us what happened." Minerva stared at blonde, who continued to be expressionless and emotionless, which was unlike her.

"He can tell you." Lucy murmured before walking around Minerva and left the room.

When Lucy was gone, a deadly silence of uncertainty and mystery filled the room.

"He?" Sting spoke.

"She means me." A new registration made itself known at the entrance of broken woods.

The mages turned to see a familiar mage that they were talking not too long ago.

"Doranbolt?" Hisui spoke up.

"They attacked the council, and killed everybody. I was the only survivor." Doranbolt answered for what Lucy refused to share.

"Tartaros's already making their move?" Sting's eyes widened.

Minerva cursed under her breath. "Guess we need to make our moves then."

"There's more." Doranbolt added with a grim look. "They're also going after ex-council members as well."

"So…they're be going after Jellal as well?" Rogue asked.

Doranbolt nodded. "And Lucy is really frustrated right now."

"Frustrated? Why? Last time I remember, she was very distrustful of the members of the council." Minerva said.

Doranbolt frowned as she recalled the attack on the council while was visiting.

…

 _~Flashback~_

 _It all happened in a flash, and it left no room to recuperate from the sudden attack when the building had exploded. Just one single blast sent the entire council to rumbles and it killed some members instantly, while others bled to death._

 _There was only a few survivors that managed to survive, and they were Doranbolt, Orge, and Lucy._

 _Lucy managed to shield herself from the surprise attack, and didn't take into account of what had happened. When she saw the current aftermath of the council, she wished she was dreaming._

 _She looks around, her white cloak coated in dirt, and tried to find what had happened. In the corner of her eyes, she sees Doranbolt, mourning over his dead friend, Lahar that remained limp and cold. It was too late for him. Lucy looked away and tried to find the cause of the explosion._

 _"_ _What happened here?" Lucy murmured as she walked through the rubbles. She was only here to tell the council to get rid of the weapon before it was too late. She feared that they were already making their moves._

 _"_ _Lucy!"_

 _Lucy turned to see Doranbolt running towards her, blood dripping from his forehead. "What?"_

 _"_ _Did someone else survive?" Doranbolt asked with a desperate tone that made Lucy pity him._

 _"_ _I don't know. That's why I'm looking. I need to find what caused this as well, and I fear for the worse." Lucy gritted her teeth as saw corpses of the council and those who had worked for the council._

 _"_ _You mean Tartaros?"_

 _Lucy sighed as she stepped over a big broken pillar. "It's too soon. But then again, war is unpredictable."_

 _Doranbolt nodded in understanding._

 _"_ _Lucy…Doranbolt…" Not another second, both mages heard a soft and weak voice coming from their right. Lucy and Doranbolt turned to see Orge pinned down by a large rock._

 _"_ _Orge!" Doranbolt started to make his way to Orge's side and try to help him. But Lucy made no such move, as she registered a new individual that sent chills up her spine._

 _"_ _No, no" A new voice that Lucy figured belonged to the individual that she was worried about._

 _Doranbolt halted in his tracks when a hand slammed into Orge's head, pinned him deeper into the ground. "Letting you live is not an option. Assassinating all nine senate members is our direct after all." The unknown man grinned with evil that Lucy hated so much._

 _"_ _Doranbolt…Lucy…Run." Orge muttered, coming to terms with his death that cannot be avoided._

 _Lucy narrowed her eyes at Orge, silently telling him that she will never run away. Without saying anything, or wasting a moment before Orge was killed, she lurched forward and attempted to kick the man off of the councilman._

 _It was successful on Lucy's part when she was able to kick the man away. However, when the man got up, he grinned evilly and smirked at the blonde. "The name is Jackal. One of the demon gates of Tartaros, and you just touched me."_

 _Lucy frowned at the man at the last part. Not another second, her leg that had kicked Jackal begun to glow, and she immediately knew what was happening. But she didn't have anything to prevent it, or stop it. Another second passed, her leg exploded, sending the blonde to the ground._

 _The man, Jackal laughed evilly. "I always love a good fight. But that can wait, as I have unfinished business that I need to attend with that survivor over there." He pointed to said survivor that's pinned under a rock._

 _Lucy grunted at the pain on her leg and forced herself up and glared at Jackal of Tartaros. "You won't be killing anyone else."_

 _Jackal grinned again. "Wow, you're still intact. Impressive. Try and stop me."_

 _Lucy glared at him before summoning the power of one of her strongest spirit, Aquarius. Once the power settled within, she willed all of the water that was nearby and aimed it at Jackal, mindful of not making any contact with the demon._

 _Jackal dodged it by jumping to his side and lashed forward toward the blonde and tried to punch her. Lucy dodged it has she teleported out of range of his power._

 _"_ _Nice move." Jackal grinned at Lucy._

 _Lucy situated herself on a broken pillar and stared down at the demon._

 _Jackal jumped forward and made an attempt of hitting Lucy, wanting to see some reaction of pain that he got earlier. He wanted to hear more and see more painful expression of the blonde_

 _Lucy made every attempt of dodging and making sure that she doesn't get hit by the explosions by using the power of the Water Bearer and tried to stop Jackal before he land an attack on her. She wasn't a fan of the explosions, and she couldn't avoid to be hit by the deadly explosions._

 _5 minutes of intense hit and dodge between the demon and the blonde, Jackal finally managed to land a hit on Lucy's stomach, sending her across the ruined building that once used to be a council, followed by a loud explosion and a horrifying loud scream soon followed._

 _"_ _Lucy!" Doranbolt called out while trying to wedge Orge out of the fallen rock he was pinned down by._

 _"_ _Dornabolt…Run." Orge spoke up again._

 _"_ _I'm not leaving you!" Doranbolt shouted, trying to lift the rock again, but it was too heavy._

 _"_ _Think of what will happen if we lose you as well." Orge hoarse with much difficulty as he stared at Doranbolt._

 _"_ _I cannot!" Doranbolt cried. "I'm not losing another friend!"_

 _"_ _That's really sweet." Jackal grinned as he appeared from behind._

 _Doranbolt turned to the man with wide eyes and was tempted to run away. But he didn't want to leave Orge, even if he asked for it._

 _Jackal cracked his knuckles. "Now, time to finish my mission."_

 _Doranbolt narrowed his eyes and stood, getting into his defensive stance. "You'll have to kill me first!"_

 _Jackal's grin widened with joy. "That could be arranged."_

 _"_ _Run!" Orge repeated, looking Doranbolt with a terrified and confident expression._

 _Doranbolt ignored Orge and stared at the demon, raising his hands, preparing himself for battle that he doesn't know if he'll survive or not._

 _Before any of the two mages could move, Doranbolt was soon lurched backwards by an imaginary force and gently collided against a wall. "You'll be in my way."_

 _Doranbolt turned to see Lucy with the angriest expression that she had seen. All he could do was just nod with fear._

 _Lucy stepped forward and approached Jackal with narrowed eyes and clenched fists._

 _"_ _Wow. To see that you're still standing after that explosion to your stomach. Impressive." Jackal mused with amusement._

 _Lucy frowned deeper at the demon. In all honesty, Lucy would've died if she did not have her celestial healing powers. She had almost bled to death, and her blood now coated her white cloak. She needs to be careful next time, and make sure that she doesn't gets hit again._

 _"_ _Let's see if you can withstand another explosion" Jackal grinned at the blonde, excited to fight some more. Orge can wait, seeing that he can't move. So he has plenty of time to lay waste to the blonde that dared to fight him._

 _Lucy gritted her teeth and quickly summoned Leo and Norma. The two spirits appeared according to their call and stood next to Lucy with purpose and immediately prepared themselves as they stared at their known enemy._

 _"_ _Princess, I'm here for you." Leo smiled at Lucy as he raised his fist._

 _"_ _It's about time!" Norma shouted, excited to have a fight that he missed._

 _"_ _Leo and Norma, you'll fight by my side and help me take this demon down." Lucy ordered with a glare that's directed to the demon._

 _"_ _Sure thing, Princess." Leo smirked and cracked his knuckles._

 _"_ _Can't wait!" Norman grinned and readied his fists._

 _Lucy then lurched forward, indicating that their battle had begun, and both Leo and Norma followed Lucy to help take down their formidable opponent._

 _Doranbolt could only watch as Lucy and her spirit begun to fight Jackal that had laid waste to the council and killed many with just one explosion. He was almost afraid if Lucy was his enemy, and what she would've done if he were to fight her. For now, he needs to trust Lucy, and trust that she can defeat the demon and save Orge._

 _Doranbolt got up on his feet and glanced at Orge, who was still pinned under a rock, and he knew that she needed to get him out soon, or Orge will die. Glancing back at the battlefield between the celestial magic and explosion magic, he looked for an opening to run to Orge's side and try and free him, and save him._

 _Lucy was frustrated and angry. Jackal was an opponent that she hadn't faced before, and she needed to find a way to stop him and save Orge for some answers. Leo and Norma continuously landed their attacks on the demon, but Jackal merely used his explosion to shield himself from the attacks of the celestial spirits._

 _"_ _Ya'll are fun. But can we pause? I need to make sure that your friend doesn't escape with my target." Jackal grinned._

 _Lucy looked to the side and sees Dornabolt attempting to left large rock off of Orge. She gritted her teeth and turned back to Jackal, only to see that he disappeared._

 _Alarm covering her senses, the blonde turned back to Doranbolt and Orge, and sees that Jackal was in the air, about to kick Doranbolt away. Lucy made quick haste and summoned the power of Antlia and used the speed of power and lurched forward toward Jackal and hoped that she wouldn't be too late._

 _She was unable to stop Jackal from kicking Doranbolt harshly, sending him across the room, explosion and a scream soon followed. But Lucy stopped Jackal before he does get to Orge and punched him in the stomach without much thought, and sent him across the room. As much as she was concerned for Doranbolt, she need to ensure Orge's safety first._

 _Lucy stood, panting with adrenaline and felt her arm glowing and allowed it to explode, causing the blonde to scream. After the dust settled, Lucy immediately administrated to her now bleeding arm and used the power of her celestial healing power and stopped the bleeding. She dismissed her spirits to replenish her magic, as both Leo and Norma was draining her magic._

 _"_ _So, that's how you survived." Jackal boomed with annoyance of being interrupted once again, but was intrigued with the power of the blonde._

 _Lucy ignored the demon and finished healing her arm._

 _Jackal grinned. "Well then, I'll shall give you as much explosion I can so you can't heal yourself. Let's see if you can keep up."_

 _Lucy glared at Jackal and readied her arms once her arm was fully healed. "I will stop you."_

 _Jackal grinned and jumped in front of Orge. "Fine, but first, let me kill this man before we can fight. I don't want any more interruptions."_

 _Jackal's hand made its way toward Orge's head, and Lucy made a mad dash toward Jackal to stop him._

 _Jackal grinned as his plan was working and withdrew his hand and used it to bring a punch toward the blonde. Lucy wasn't expecting this and extended her arms to defend herself._

 _But before Jackal's fist could connect with Lucy's hands, he stumbled to the ground with a soft thud, causing Lucy to pause in her tracks._

 _Jackal growled and turned to see that Orge had summoned enough strength to make the demon lose his balance._

 _"_ _Lucy! Don't waste your life on me." Orge shouted through a hoarse tone._

 _"_ _I won't let anyone die." Lucy gritted her teeth._

 _"_ _Like I said, I can't let anyone live." Jackal grinned and grabbed Orge's hand that still had a grip on Jackal's feet. "Explode"_

 _"_ _NO!" Lucy screamed and lurched forward and hoped that she could stop Jackal, or save Orge._

 _An explosion sent Lucy backwards, colliding against a wall, blood that belonged to Orge splattering against her and her surroundings._

 _"_ _Ah, blood is the best, don't you agree." Jackal grinned as he emerged from the dust._

 _Lucy stared at the demon with wide eyes, filled with anger and fear. She couldn't save Orge, and she couldn't save Doranbolt. She was too late. If this demon was just as strong as the other demons of Tartaros, then she has no hope of defeating the dark guild._

 _"_ _Now, let's continue our fight." Jackal continued and cracked his knuckles._

 _Lucy narrowed her eyes and stood to her feet and debated on what to do. She stared at the demon, and contemplated on what to do. After a minute, Lucy's eyes widened as she quickly read his mind._

 _"_ _Lucy."_

 _Lucy turned and sees that Doranbolt was leaning against a pillar, tears streaming down his cheeks, having witnessing the whole scene of Orge being killed in cold blood. "We need to escape."_

 _Lucy eagerly agreed with him and turned back to Jackal. Fighting this demon will have to wait. Doranbolt's injuries seemed more important to attend to, rather than fighting this demon._

 _Lucy quickly teleported behind Doranbolt and quickly teleported both of them to a different location, away from the demon and their lust for blood._

 _Once they were safe, or once that they believed they were safe, Lucy immediately tended to Doranbolt's injuries._

 _"_ _What just happened?" Doranbolt muttered as the blonde tended to his injuries._

 _"_ _A war between dark and light begins." Lucy muttered after she finished healing Doranbolt._

 _"_ _What will you do now?" Doranbolt asked as he got back up on his feet._

 _"_ _I need to find the other ex-councilmen." Lucy muttered as she closed her eyes angrily._

 _Doranbolt looked at Lucy before trying to review what had happened. "The ex-councilmen? I don't understand."_

 _"_ _They will be hunted, one way or another."_

 _"_ _What? Then we need to do something about this!"_

 _Lucy turned and started to walk in one direction. "First, I need a bath and a change of clothes." She didn't like how her clothes were covered in both hers and Orge's blood. She felt filthy._

 _"_ _Are you going back to your headquarters? To STAR alliance?"_

 _"_ _Yes."_

 _Doranbolt decided to follow her, as he has nowhere else to go._

 _~End of Flashback~_

The mages were silent, dread filled the air, rendering the occupants that breathed air completely speechless.

"I can't imagine how Lucy be feeling…her efforts being laid to waste." Hisui murmured.

"At least she gained something." Minerva turned to Doranbolt.

"We need to act on this Intel, and fast." Sting stood up to his feet.

"We can't do anything without Lucy's content." Rogue pointed out.

"The ex-councilmen…" Jellal knew that he would also be a target, as he used to be part of the councilmen.

The door opened once again, and Lucy in a newly cleaned clothes and her now white cloak and clean skin walked back into the room.

The mages didn't say anything at first, afraid and unable to speak up after what had happened. And Lucy still seemed angry and frustrated. All eyes were on Lucy, and waited for her to speak up.

Lucy stopped in front of the group and stared at each and every one of them with a criticizing glaze. After a moment of silence, Lucy opened her mouth. "Tartaros made their move. We do the same and ensure the safety of the other ex-councilmen. They may hold the information that we need. And a way to destroy the weapon.

"What is this weapon, may I ask?" Sting asked as he crossed his arms.

"They call it FACE. It is capable of ridding of magic completely."

"Now, that's bad." Sting muttered.

"So what do we do?" Minerva asked.

Lucy sighed. "We split up into groups, and we'll be assigned to protect an ex-councilman, and try and defeat the enemy that dared to attack them."

"Sounds good, but can we even win? You had a hard time." Sting pointed out.

"I can't protect and fight at the same time." Lucy then turned to Jellal. "You are one of the targets. You stay here and stay with Hisui."

Jellal nodded. "That's understandable, but I can still fight, you know."

"I don't like risks.

Lucy left the room and made her way outside. She needed to reflect on what had just happened, and she needed to replenish her magic.

* * *

When Lucy had left the room, the mages stood with silence, and contemplated on what to do next. Some had an idea, and others had completely different ideas that they wanted to act on.

"We need to convince Lucy to let Fairy Tail fight with us." Minerva spoke up.

"I agree." Hisui frowned.

"But the question is, how? How can we convince her to let Fairy Tail fight with us?" Sting asked, a question that made the mages rethink on their methods of convincing the blonde.

 **A/N: Well...? What did you think? O.O I want to know! :3**

 **If ya'll are lucky, I might complete this arc before putting this on a temporary hiatus. I need more information from the manga, so I will have to wait...AND I HATE WAITING! T.T**

 **Please review and comment on your thoughts! I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: The new chapter truly enrages me. So much wasted potential and hated the fact how Mashima wrote the plot of the battle between Erza and the mother. Truly disappointing and I hated this.**

 **This book will be better. The fight between Erza and her mother will have more meaning and more have drama suspense, especially when Lucy is involved. You will know what I'm talking about once you read this chapter.**

 **Again, I'm started to hate the manga's plot. But I will forever love Fairy Tail because of erlu. So yeah...I'm pretty stubborn.**

 **Please enjoy?**

Lucy knelt in front of her fake grave that she set up solely to make Erza and the rest of the Fairy Tail members discouraged to fight her battle. Right now, as far as Lucy knows, Erza still believes that she is still dead. Now she questioned if it was the right method to use. Everything was not going according to plan, and everything was failing. And Lucy was becoming desperate.

She wanted them to stay away from her troubles, and she knew that this battle was meant to be fought with others. But she continued to deny it, and she will deny it with all her might. She will not lose them again. Not this time, and she'll make sure that it won't happen.

"Lucy."

Lucy looked over her shoulder to see Hisui behind her. She stood up and faced her with a silent scowl of being interrupted, having a slight idea of what she wanted to talk about.

"I need to talk to you."

Lucy sighed deeply and turned her back on her, and faced the grave once again. "Can it wait?"

"To be honest? No. Lives are at stake here. And you're too busy trying to not get help, which we clearly need." Hisui said, getting closer to the blonde.

"I was alone when I started this quest more than 10 years ago. Then I got help, and you're one of them."

"Maybe you need more people to help you."

Lucy sighed and turned back to Hisui. "Maybe, if I could trust them. But how can I expect trust from my allies if I can't trust them completely?"

"Huh?" Hisui crooked her eyebrows as she stared at the blonde questioningly.

"I didn't say anything because at first I'm already too frustrated with my own problems to deal with you people who decided to go behind my back and disobey me." Lucy silently glared at Hisui.

Hisui silently looked at Lucy, letting her words sink in. "What?"

"You heard me." Lucy frowned at Hisui.

"I...We would never go behind your back."

Lucy sighed and turned to face the grave again, and contemplated on how her efforts are being laid to waste thanks to the help of Minerva and the others. "I had relied on you and the others, relied on you to gather the Intel of each mission that the members of the alliance had been on. I relied on Minerva to keep the Dragon slayers and Jellal in check. I relied on Jellal to keep the criminals in check, and I relied on the rest of the members to do their jobs accordingly to my orders. And this is what I get?"

Hisui frowned, slowly understanding what she was talking about. "We only did what we thought was right."

Lucy clenched her fists and turned to face Hisui with a glare. "So dragging people in our problems is the right thing to do?"

"Fairy Tail was already involved in this since the day you joined the guild. And you're still part of the guild!"

"That was 7 years ago. Fairy Tail may had been involved back then, but now? It's best if they kept their distance."

Hisui frowned. "Is there a reason for that?"

"Plenty. But you don't need to know them." Lucy spat before walking past Hisui and back into the palace.

"W-Wait!" Hisui called out after Lucy, but the blonde was already gone, assumingly inside of the palace.

Lucy was still enraged after learning of their 'plans' when reading Jellal's mind before the bloodied incident of the councilmen.

She didn't say anything at that moment because the weapon that the council possessed was far more important than what Jellal and the others had been planning. And she opted on dealing with them after talking to the councilmen.

But what she hadn't planned on was dealing with the murder of the councilmen and dealing with one of the members of Tartaros. Yes, she was caught off guard, and yes, she was lost because she was worried about the safety of a certain someone that wouldn't leave.

Walking back into the palace, where the other members stood, still questioning about what they should do next, Lucy walked toward them with an expressionless look on her face, while internally, she was angry. But she didn't let it show as she approached the group of members.

Jellal was the first to notice Lucy and stopped talking to Minerva and cautiously watched as the blonde walked closer.

It wasn't long till silence filled the room as Lucy stopped in front of them, giving them a deadly silence glare.

"I want to hear your reasons, and I dare you to try and reason with me. Why did you do it?" Lucy glared.

Jellal then eyed Hisui as she ran into the room, and quickly knew what happened, or thought what might've happened. Minerva gladly stared back at Lucy, always loving a little staring contest. Sting and Rouge just stood there, not sure if they should leave or not.

"I told you already, we did it because we knew it was the right thing to do." Hisui added as she walked deeper into the room, stopping just behind Lucy.

"Then try and reason with me." Lucy asked, not even turning her head to look at Hisui in the eyes.

"It's already evident when you came back injured that one time. You almost died. And this was because you were on your own." Minerva said as she stepped closer toward Lucy.

"It won't happen again." Lucy spat.

"The first time, understandable. The second time, you haven't learned your lesson. The third time, you're an idiot. And the fourth time? You're going to be dead before we defeat Zeref." Minerva droned on as she scowled at Lucy.

"I don't care what happens to me. I will fall as many times as I need to, I will bleed as many times as I need to, in order to accomplish what I need."

"You almost died one time, couple years ago. You wouldn't even be here if Zeref had not decided to intervene." Minerva added.

Jellal, Hisui, Sting, and Rouge decided to keep their distance, hoping that they wouldn't be caught in the anger of the blonde. Minerva, however, was no affected and continued to give the blonde the dead scowl and taunted her.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at Minerva and clenched her fists. She hated that memory. She gets nightmares involving the incident of fighting one of Zeref's pawns, and to be saved by Zeref in the end. She hated the fact so much.

 _~Flashback~_

 _Lucy stood her ground as she faced her opponent that she had sadly came across. And the person that she faced looked so much liked her. And it scared her to no end to think that this was actually the girl that she knew. The girl that she had fought with._

 _Despite the flowing red locks, that smirk and those deadly eyes was not something Lucy was familiar with, and knew that this woman was related to someone else._

 _Lucy knew that this woman was somehow related to her late friend, and she remembered that she told her that she had no living relatives alive. So, Lucy wanted to know the truth._

 _The first couple blows from the redheaded woman had given the blond a hard time, as she had to focus 100% on her defense powers._

 _After throwing couple more attacks toward the blonde, the redheaded woman smirked before scowling as she started to walk forward toward the blonde who was struggling to get back up on her feet._

 _Lucy panted heavily as she got up to her feet and readied her defensive, and tried to think of a tactic to use against this woman._

 _"To think you are still alive. Hmm...it will be a great pleasure in killing you, Heartfilia." The redhead woman intoned with a tone that Lucy knew all too well: Hatred._

 _Lucy narrowed her eyes as she tried to study her motive, but failed to find one. "What? What are you talking about? How do you know me?"_

 _The redhead woman continue to glare at the blonde with looks of hatred and anger. "Your mother betrayed me, left me behind to be tortured. I swore to her that I will make her suffer, along with you."_

 _Lucy eyes widened as she was still processing what the woman had just said. "Y-You knew my mother?"_

 _"Unfortunately, yes. It was an incident of betrayal that enraged me to no end, especially when she knew I was pregnant."_

 _She was silent for a moment or two before she pieced in the details. "Pregnant? A-Are you in any chance...Erza's mother?" Lucy asked._

 _"Oh? So you know that pathetic child?"_

 _Lucy's teeth gritted in anger at the tone and words that the woman had just spoken._

 _"I've heard she's dead. Good riddance, wouldn't you say?" The woman smirked, already knowing the state of her child, and the rest of the Fairy Tail members, thanks to the Intel of Zeref's._

 _Lucy clenched her fist and bit her lips, making it bleed. "No..."_

 _"Hmmm?" The redheaded woman smirked._

 _Lucy's brown eyes started to shimmer, a sign of a magic of using all 12 zodiacs are being used at the same time. "Don't you dare talk about her like that." She glared at the redhead woman._

 _The woman merely smirked. "Oh? She is just trash, and has no use for me."_

 _Lucy alighted her fist in a powerful mist of golden magic, wrapped around her arms, slowly spreading to the rest of her body. "Erza was my friend, and I will not let you bad mouth her, even if she is dead. I will not let anyone, even her mother, to bad mouth her."_

 _"Dead?" The redhead mused. "I see. Interesting."_

 _Lucy clenched her fist and jumped forward, intent on landing a hit on the redhead. But the woman merely moved her hand, followed by an explosion of where Lucy was currently running into._

 _The explosion had caught the blonde off guard, sending Lucy across the ground, skidding, scraping every inch of her clothing as she rolled across the ground. Once she skidded to a halt, she laid on the ground for a moment, not really expecting this much power from Erza's mother._

 _She slowly got up and collected her breath as she stared at the redhead woman._

 _"Can you withstand more than that? I want to make you suffer." The woman smirked._

 _Lucy narrowed her eyes and raised her fist, ready to fight again. She lurched forward and expanded her magic that surrounded her right arm and created a massive arm, made of magic and it mirrored Lucy's own movement. And when Lucy shot her arm forward toward the redheaded woman, the massive magic arm did the same thing and aimed toward the woman, close to landing an impact._

 _However, as soon, or before it could land on the redheaded woman, the massive magic arm was merely repelled and it acted as it had hit an imaginary wall, making the massive magic arm go around the redheaded woman._

 _Lucy grimaced and pulled back her arm, where the massive arm mirrored her movements, pulling away from the redheaded woman._

 _"What magic do you use?" Lucy asked._

 _The woman only smirked. "I like to call it enhancing magic."_

 _Lucy readied her magic in defense, not ever having heard of enhancing magic. She wasn't sure if Wendy's magic should be considered enhancing magic or not. Because Wendy's magic seemed to be almost identical in the sense of how the magic are used._

 _Nonetheless, Lucy has no way of fighting this type of magic, as she had not even sparred against the small Dragon Slayer. But Lucy wasn't planning on giving up anytime soon. And she will fight this opponent one way or another._

 _"Who are you? What is your connection with my mother? She died almost 100 years ago." Lucy asked as she watched the older woman._

 _"I am Irene Belserion. And I was the former Queen of the Dragons."_

 _Lucy quickly hid her surprise as she redirected her foot stance. Queen of the Dragons? Why did that sound so familiar? Lucy wondered as she stared at the woman before her. But nothing comes to mind concerning her life before she entered the Celestial Realm to train with her mother. But she could've swore that the title of the Queen of the Dragons sounded familiar...on so many levels. And she wanted to know why._

 _"Queen of the Dragons?" Lucy repeated._

Irene smirked and walked couple of steps toward the young celestial mage. "Yes. But I was stripped of that title ever since the War of the Dragons had ended. That was when that trash was beginning to grow inside of me" Irene growled at that part.

 _Lucy narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists in anger. She had never come across a person that had carried a child and hates their very existence once they were born. Mothers should be more loving and protective over their child. This woman, Irene, made Lucy's blood boil with anger._

 _Lucy knows, that deep inside, that her own mother cared about her and had been plotting a safer way for her to complete this prophecy without losing her life in the process. And Lucy knows that her mother had sacrificed many things to ensure that Lucy does not come across any dangerous consequences. And Lucy respected and loved her mother for everything that she had done for her._

 _The woman that stood before Lucy, that claimed to be the mother of Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail, that this woman bears no motherly feelings for the child that she had given birth to. Lucy does not care to how this person, Irene, decided to throw away her feelings for her own child. She will not hear any excuses._

 _From the time that she had spent with Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail, the armored girl had suffered many trials ever since she was little. But she did not complain one bit. Because she was not alone. Or so Lucy was told. Erza didn't really tell her much, but Lucy could easily guessed the rest according to her voice, actions, and words. And Lucy didn't question it._

 _Erza Scarlet became who she is...what she used to be since she disappeared. And Lucy will honor the person that she knew by defeating this woman before her. Irene will not live to see another day. And she does not deserve to see her daughter again._

 _"Whatever the case with you, Irene, I could care less about them. But I will not let you tarnish my friends." Lucy growled as she readied her magic again._

 _Irene only smirked. "Regardless, you can't even lay a hand on me."_

 _Lucy's only response to that was raising her arm, her massive magic arm mirroring her, and pumping her first toward the woman, the massive magic arm thrusting forward, intent on hitting the woman again. Atlas, with the same results, the massive magic arm was only repelled, going past the redheaded woman. Irene paid it no mind, and barely lifted a finger as she repelled the magic._

 _Lucy pulled back her arm, the massive magic arm mirroring her movements as well. She compressed the massive magic arm back into her body and decided to try a different tactic on defeating this opponent. She studied the woman, thinking that a long range attacks may not have much of an effect on her. But what about close range attacks?_

 _Lucy summoned the power of Taurus, Leo, Aquarius, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Libra. Calling forth the 6 of the zodiacs power through Celestial Fusion, and combined them to create a powerful attack that only the zodiacs can muster._

 _Lucy summoned the light of Regulus, the power to manipulate water, and combined them to create a whirlpool of light and water at the palms of her hands, a special move that she likes to call Bending Wave. She manipulated the growing magic of light and water and increased the size to increase the intended hurt that she wants to inflict on Irene._

 _She looked at the redheaded woman that only stood with amusement in her eyes. Anger flaring in Lucy's eyes, she used the accuracy of Sagittarius's shots, and used that accuracy and threw the growing ball of light and water_

 _Using the light of Regulus from Leo, and poured the light into the power of the Water Bearer's magic. She directed her Bending Wave attack and threw the balls of magic toward her opponent using Sagittarius's accuracy the strength of Taurus and immediately used Libra's gravity magic to make her attack heavier so it could inflict more damage. While her attack was in midair, Lucy summoned small blades and then threw them toward Irene as a distraction._

 _Lucy continued to summon more blades from the power of Cancer and threw them toward Irene, and hoped that her Bending Wave attack would inflict the necessary damage that she wanted to see._

 _Then her magic made contact and a cloud of dust was raised, masking the redheaded woman from the blonde's eyes. Lucy ceased her blade magic and paused in her movements, waiting to see if it had worked or not._

 _Couple seconds later, the dust slowly resettled back to the ground, and the figure of the redhead could slowly be seen. Once Lucy caught a better sight of her opponent, she immediately tried to think of another tactic that she could use. Because Bending Wave had no effect on Irene. And it seemed that she had repelled it as well._

 _Lucy inwardly sighed and relieved the power of most of her spirit, except for Taurus and Leo. Close combat moves will be the only offense that she could rely on._

 _She needed to finish this. She could sense the enormous power residing inside the redheaded woman. Lucy grabbed the collar of her cloak and removed it. She quickly placed it in her void and faced her opponent again. She now stood, bearing the colors of blue and white. A white shirt, with a blue cross over her right breast, similar to Erza's regular armor. One of the reason why she preferred this shirt. And she wore a blue battle skirt while a long black boots._

 _Lucy got into her battle stance and used Leo's regulus light and encased her fists, and allowed the power of the cow to settle in. Once the power of Leo and Taurus settled, Lucy lurched forward toward the redhead woman._

 _Within seconds, Lucy was now in front of Irene, and immediately aimed her fist toward her face._

 _In a split second, Irene couldn't see Lucy anymore, but she soon realized why. She soon saw the fist of the blonde heading toward her face. She made no such move to dodge it. She only used her hand and quickly clenched her fingers, letting the ground below her to explode._

Irene herself was perfectly fine, as the explosions has no effect on her. But the blonde was sent backwards, skidding across the ground.

 _The redheaded woman smirked and watched as Lucy got back up, struggling with a new wound on her leg. But she paid no mind to it as she healed it with her celestial powers. Lucy's eyes were primarily focused on the redhead, filled with hate and anger._

 _"You're predictable. Just like your mother." Irene smirked._

 _Lucy clenched her teeth and stepped forward. "What was your connection with my mother?"_

 _Irene didn't answer right away. She only stared at the young blonde. "Despite her betraying me. She was my best friend. We grew up together. She taught me many things, as I had taught her many things. But there were...more to than just friendship. But it didn't last forever as the war came."_

 _Lucy panted lightly as she continued to listen to the redheaded woman, while gathering up the necessary magic that she would need in order to defeat this woman._

 _"The war came, destroyed many things. The only thing that I could rely on was my dragon friend, Belserion, your mother, and ex-husband. After the war ended, my ex-husband turned his back on me, Belserion died, and your mother betrayed me."_

 _"My mother isn't that type of person to betray someone." Lucy intoned._

 _"You be surprised, little girl." Irene growled and scowled at the young blonde._

 _Lucy silently gulped, not wanting to believe that her mother would betray someone else. It had to be a lie. There must had been a reason for this._

 _"I never got to kill her, so I'll be killing you instead." Irene smirked._

 _Lucy took a step backward in slight fear, but she wasn't going to run away. "That won't be happening."_

 _Irene's only response was raising her fists and clenching it, and at the same time, the ground below Lucy exploded once again. This time, the blonde was prepared and jumped to the side before she would be inflicted._

 _Lucy immediately ran toward the redheaded woman and brought her fists back, using the power of Leo's Regulus light surrounding her fists, and used Taurus's strength and compressed the power into her fists._

 _Lucy thrust her fist forward toward Irene with much force as possible._

 _This time, Irene used her spear that she held in her other hand and deflected the attack and used her other hand to thrust it in front of Lucy's face. An imaginary force had forcibly pulled Lucy, as if she had been hit by a force of 1000 bulls. The blonde found herself skidding across the ground as soon as she realized what had happened._

 _Skidding to a halt, with her back touching the ground, and watched as the clouds floated by, Lucy struggled to get back on her feet and stared at the redheaded woman._

 _"What I find amusing is that you talk just like her. And you take after her looks." Irene began. "I'm going to get rid of you, because you remind me too much of her." She scowled._

 _"My mother has nothing to be hated for. She would never betray anyone!" Lucy knew or believed that her mother would not betray one so easily. She refused to hear this._

 _Irene smirked some more. "Then you can ask her herself when you see her on the other side." She raised her hand and the rock that rest next to the blonde exploded in a split second, chucks of rocks exploding, hitting Lucy in the process._

 _Lucy managed to block couple of the flying rocks with her enhanced fists, but failed to stop some of them as they made contact with her face and legs._

 _Lucy jumped away_ _and tried to prevent anymore injuries that she had already taken. After jumping away from the inflicting area of damages, the blonde turned back to Irene with a scowl._

 _She has many other tricks up her sleeves that she could use to defeat this woman. And she will not succumb to the mercy of the redhead woman that bore no feelings for a life that she had given._

 **A/N: So...Yeah that just happened. Lucy encountered Irene 4 years after the Fairy Tail members disappeared. I'm not going to reveal anymore. You'll probably learn more in the next chapter, or the next.**

 **But yeah, Lucy becomes conflicted and stuff. I had to end it on here, as it almost approached 4,000 words, so...yeah**

 **Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! Please review and comment on your opinions! I don't bite~~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: This will probably be my last chapter for a while, sadly. I will explain it after you read this chapter on why.**

 **so...Please enjoy?**

~ _Where we left off from the last chapter~ She has many other tricks up her sleeves that she could use to defeat this woman. And she will not succumb to the mercy of the redhead woman that bore no feelings for a life that she had given_.

...

Lucy stood angrily as she looked at the woman of who spoke badly of her friends, especially Erza. She will never forgive this person.

Irene continued to stand with a smirk as she looked down on a struggling blonde, and continued to stand effortlessly without a single scratch.

"This is fun, don't you think?" Irene droned with a wider smirk of a madman.

Lucy gritted her teeth and silently and quickly healed her bleeding leg, and ignored her bleeding face. She didn't care about her face, but she needed her legs to be able take down this woman in front of her,

"Shut up, you sadistic bitch." The young mage growled.

Irene only chuckled. "Sadistic? No...I prefer the term of...Avenger."

"Avenger?" Lucy questioned as she continued to heal her leg.

"To avenge my life."

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "But you're still alive."

Irene frowned for a moment. "I only got to see you a small child...and that was when I was in a cell, confined for accusation of being part dragon. I don't expect you to know the truth of everything."

"Truth?"

Irene smirked some more. "I could tell you everything...but I'll tell you after I kill you."

"Why not just tell me?"

"Because I want to kill the last Heartfilia...and spill the damn blood that I so much hate. And I want to hear you scream."

Lucy gritted and took a step forward as soon as she had healed her leg. "Then I'll stop you and beat the truth out of you before you kill me. I'm very hard to kill...and I will not let you kill me. I refuse to die. Not yet anyways."

Irene then stared at the young blonde with observatory glaze. "Do you even know why Zeref is gathering an army?"

Lucy was taken aback a little, not expecting that kind of response. "I had limited Intel, and I could only read the mind of a handful, and not all of them have the info that I needed. I was told that Zeref wanted to take over the world and destroy it."

Irene chuckled a little. "Perhaps. But that's only if things doesn't go with the things Zeref had planned."

"Huh?"

"His Majesty has more ambitions than just destroying the world."

Lucy took another step toward the blonde. "And what would this ambition be?"

"I'll tell you after I kill you." Irene grinned raising her staff. "I want to hear your scream now."

As soon as the redheaded woman raised her staff, the ground below Lucy begun shrink before expanding and exploded. Luckily the blonde had jumped away in time from the explosion.

As Lucy jumped to a safe distance, she turned back to toward to where Irene should be, but soon found that she was nowhere to be found. With alert in her eyes, she started to look around. When she turned around, she was met with a fist to her stomach and was sent flying across the ground. Lucy swore she felt a rib cracking from the impact.

Heaving as she sat up, using her celestial powers to heal her broken ribs. She turned to Irene, and saw her just standing there with a smirk. "That was a satisfying crack that I heard." The queen licked her lips.

After Lucy healed her ribs and straightened herself observed the woman, trying to find some way to take her out.

"I can feel it...you're running out magic aren't you?" Irene chuckled a little as she walked toward the struggling blonde.

"I don't have to answer that." Lucy cracked her knuckles and tried to devise another plan.

"It takes a lot of magic to use your celestial magic to heal your wounds, am I right?"

Lucy gritted her teeth and glared at the woman.

Irene took the silence as a yes. "Then I'll give you an injury that you wouldn't be able to heal.

Lucy blinked for a moment, and as soon as she reopened her eyes, Irene disappeared, and before she could look around, she could feel a hot magic gathering close to her stomach. She looked down and saw the staff calling forth a ball of hot energy.

Panicking, Lucy backed away and saw Irene to her side, right next to her. Before Lucy could get to a safe distance from the impending attack, Irene thrusted the ball of hot energy toward the young mage.

Lucy shielded herself with her arms from the attack and soon felt the ball of hot energy colliding against her skin. She soon screamed at the pain that it brought. Additionally, she was kicked backward and started rolling against the ground.

When she stopped skidding against the ground, Lucy found herself on her stomach and she was in immense pain from the burning of her skin. "D-Damn it..."

Irene chuckled and grinned evilly as she heard the screams of the blonde. "That was magnificent." She walked toward the blonde, who were biting her lips to deal with the pain. "So you were able to protect yourself. Just like I would expect from a Heartfilia."

Lucy continued to bite her lips in pain and tried moving her arms. She could move them, but the burning of her skin, her raw skin was too painful. She immediately used her celestial magic to heal her burning arms and turned her head toward the sadistic mage.

Irene stopped in front of the blonde, and the blonde stared back at her with anger. "I love that look. Hate me, resent me, curse me." She grinned before raising her staff and stabbed Lucy on her healing arms with the butt of the staff. "Scream some more for me."

Lucy bit her lips to the point of making them bleed. "Go to hell, bitch."

"I've already been to hell." Irene smirked as she dug the staff deeper in Lucy's healing arm. "I've been there so many times."

Lucy winces in pain and glared at the woman with hatred.

Irene was about to summon another ball of hot energy and hit Lucy with it on her back. But she was soon interrupted by the voice that she knew so well.

"Irene, stop."

Irene immediately withdrew her magic and removed her staff from Lucy's arm and turned to see Zeref standing there, not entirely pleased.

"Your majesty." Irene spoke with admiration.

Lucy gasped angrily as she saw the mage that she was meant to defeat.

"Irene, step away from the girl." Zeref ordered.

Irene obediently stepped away as ordered. "Yes, Your majesty."

Lucy didn't move and glared at the man.

Zeref soon walked toward the blonde with a blank look. "It's been awhile, and I wasn't' hoping to see you until the time was near."

When Lucy saw that Zeref was nearing her, she tried sitting up, ignoring the immense pain her arms and stood up to her feet. "This means I have another chance to kill you, right?"

Zeref stopped meters away from Lucy. "That time will have to wait. And I need you to be alive. I only intervene to stop Irene from killing you."

"You Majesty! This imprudent girl will ruin our plan!" Irene argued.

Zeref turned to the older woman and glared at her. "Do not touch her until the time is near."

Irene took a slight step backwards, and nodded in frustrated. "Of course, Your Majesty."

Zeref then turned back to Lucy. "Until next time, Lucy."

Lucy didn't' move or say anything. She stood silently as both Irene and Zeref teleported away, assumingly back to their base.

After a few second of silence, Lucy fell to the ground, all strength gone, and all adrenaline gone. Lucy couldn't move now.

She was angry. She was disappointed. And she was feeling so hateful. Being saved by the enemy...being given pity by the enemy...she hated it so much. It was a disgrace...

She closed her eyes to regain her strength again.

~End of Flashback~

Minerva continued to stare at the blonde, not relenting on her staring. Sting and Rouge continued to stay at the side, not wanting to be caught up in the fight that may escalate. Jellal and Hisui stood next to them, trying to think of way to calm things down. And Lucy was getting angrier as she had recalled that memory of being given pity.

"We need fairy Tail, Lucy. And I know that you know it too. So stop being so damn stubborn and let them help!" Minerva raised her voice a little and stepped toward the blonde.

Lucy didn't flinch at the tone and gave the woman a blank look of anger and remained unvocal.

Hisui then stepped forward. "You told me there were plenty of reasons. Tell us so that we can understand."

Lucy sighed a little and clenched her fists. "Most of the reasons are personal...but there is one major thing that concern me the most."

"What is it?" Hisui asked.

Lucy turned to look at the Princess. "Zeref is after a weapon...something that Fairy Tail have. So I want to keep them away so Zeref won't be able to possess it"

"Weapon?" Sting perked up.

"Fairy Tail as it?" Jellal frowned a little.

"Then Fairy Tail is already involved in it. You should let them fight then." Minerva spoke.

"No." Lucy replied back.

Minerva stepped closer to Lucy, almost invading her personal bubble. "Fairy Tail should fight with us."

"I will not let them."

Minerva gets a little angry and glared at the blonde. "Whatever the reason is, Fairy Tail will fight, and they are already involved in the fight. Why bother keeping this a secret?"

"Because I said so."

"Lucy, you know we need them. I know you do. What's stopping you?" Hisui spoke up.

Because I don't want to lose them again. Lucy internally spoke within her mind. "They have no business to fight with us."

Minerva, enraged by that answer, raised her hand and slapped Lucy hard in the face, causing Lucy's head to move the side from the impact. "I'm sick of your stubbornness! We need Fairy Tail, so stop saying otherwise!"

Jellal, Hisui, Sting, and Rouge all stepped back and kept the distance between Minerva and a very angry Lucy.

Lucy slowly straightened her head and glared at Minerva. She was about to release her magic to intimate the girl.

But just as she was about to release her magic, there was a voice from the entrance as the door opened. "Hey, I have some bad news."

Heads turned toward the entrance and saw Kagura at the door, and started walking toward the group of people. Lucy didn't move and said nothing.

"What's the bad news?" Jellal asked as he looked at Kagura.

"Tartaros attacked again." Kagura walked deeper into the room, toward Lucy. "And they are targeting all ex-council members."

To this revelation, Lucy turned to face the woman. "Why?"

"I'll get to that part. And it seems that some Fairy Tail members had been abducted as well."

Lucy's eyes widened as she gritted her teeth. "Who?

"Erza and Mira, if my Intel are right." Kagura replied.

Lucy walked toward Kagura and stopped in front of her and placed her hand on her shoulder and quickly read her mind. After reading everything that she wanted and needed to know, she stepped back in anger and worry.

"Lucy?" Kagura looked at Lucy, who was seeping some magic out of her body.

The other mages was silent and remained silent, wondering what Lucy was about to do.

"New mission. We attack Tartaros and save the ones that had been abducted." Lucy droned, clenching her fists in anger.

"What will you do?" Jellal asked.

"I'm going to fight as well." Lucy answered before walking out of the room, making her way of the building.

The other mages soon followed the blonde but remained silent, as to not anger the woman any more than she already is.

 **A/N: I'm stopping it here, and plz let me know if this was any good or not. Feedbacks are greatly appreciated.**

 **I'm putting this story on hiatus bc the latest chapter of the man ga, especially with the intro of Lucy's ancester... And theit biggest weapon of stopping the dragon...seems full of disappointments...**

 **And i have doubts about this chapter...**

 **Plz review and comment on your thoughts. I don't bite ~**

 **Toodles!~** ~


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Holy shit, I forgot to upload this chapter that I had completed ages ago. I'm so sorry ^.^**

 **Just been going through a lot of stuff... Anyway...**

 **Please enjoy?**

It didn't take Lucy long to locate the enemy's base. The dark magical energy was enough for her to track down. Tartaros is too confident in their strength and is not being subtle about being hidden.

She stood from a distance, observing the floating block, mentally thinking how it can even fly. How even?

Sting, Rouge, Minerva, Yukino, Kagura, Jellal and his men stood next to the blonde's side, observing the floating castle. They too, were in slight shock of such massive floating cube. How even?

"Someone is coming." Cobra perked up, his senses on high alert.

Lucy shifted her senses and turned her eyes to the side, seeing an incoming object, flying straight toward the castle. Lucy focused her senses and attempted to indentify the intruder.

"Natsu?" Lucy frowned, wondering how he could find the floating castle. After a minute of possible scenario, it was possible that he tracked down the senses of Erza and Mira.

"That was fast" Sting muttered with admiration.

"To be able to track down the castle. Amazing." Yukio said.

"He might get in the way though." Kagura mumbled while watching Natsu fly toward the castle with annoyance.

"As expected from someone who beaten the twins dragons." Racer smirked

Sting merely glared at the man.

"Should we fight alongside him?" Rough asked, indicating if he should fight alongside the Fairy Tail mage.

"The presence of Natsu will not change our goal. We are here to defeat Tartaros and save Erza and Mira." Lucy voiced out her orders to her members.

"I call dibs on fighting with Natsu!" Sting exclaimed.

Rouge sighed. "I'll go with Sting."

"Yukino and I will go around the castle and try and defeat any enemy that we come across." Kagura narrowed her eyes as she watched Natsu breaking through the wall of the castle, successfully breaking in.

Yukino only nodded.

"Me and my crew will take care of the outside, making sure that there won't be no interference to your fight." Jellal crossed his arms.

"What will you do, Lucy?" Rouge asked, looking at the blonde.

It took Lucy a couple seconds of silence before speaking. "I'm going to rescue Erza and Mira, and then find their master and defeat him."

"Alright then! Let's go and kick some butt!" Sting smashed his hands together.

"Everyone know their roles?" Lucy asked.

After seeing that they all agreed, Lucy immediately dismissed them with a hand signal. Once seeing that they all left to perform the tasks that they must do, Lucy performed her celestial fusion and teleported into the castle, where Natsu had previously broken in.

Once she was inside, she saw no trace of the dragon slayer and scanned the room. The room was empty, besides the mess Natsu had made. On normal circumstances, she would be worried for him. But Lucy knows that he can take care of himself. She is more concerned on finding Erza.

She picked a random direction with an open door and dashed through the hallways. Her magical senses on all alert for any possible movement to be aware of. She could sense Kagura and Yukino already battling one of the demons. Sting and Rouge still wondering the castle, assumingly to find Natsu.

Things seems to be going smoothly...except Erza isn't in her arms yet.

Lucy sees a big room and dashed inside and spots big test tubes and spotted a small girl glaring at one of the test tubes, where there is a person inside of it. The blonde walked toward the girl, and observed the person in the test tube.

Not another second, she soon realized it was Mira, and immediately summoned Virgo and Libra.

"Punishment time, Princess?" Virgo bowed as she appeared.

"..." Libra stood silent as she took notice of her surroundings.

Lucy ignored Virgo and pointed at the little girl who is now aware of her presence. "I want you to save Mira, who is in that tube. And defeat this little annoying girl."

The little girl glared at the blonde. "Oh look at you. Wearing that fancy cloak over you. You must be so ugly." She giggled evilly.

Lucy paid her no mind and made sure that her spirits knows what to do. "Understand?"

"Yes, Princess." Virgo bowed and then took stance.

Libra stook stance as well and readied her weapons.

"Oh. Having other people fight your battle for you? You must be so weak." The little girl mumbled and grinned. "I'm probably stronger than you...and prettier than you."

Lucy glanced at the little girl, then at Mira who is unconscious in the test tube, before turning to dash out of the room, hoping to find Erza.

...

"Where is Lucy and Jellal?" An ominous voice ringed in her ears as immense pain had shot throughout her body

"I-I don't know." Erza weakly muttered as her arms and legs are tied to shackles that prevented her from using magic. "And Lucy? Isn't she dead?"

Kyoko smirked. "Oh? Then let's say that she is dead. But if she was alive right now, where would she be?" She took a step back to let the naked redhead talk.

Erza panted a little and tried to think where her blonde would be. "Hopefully with me."

A sharp pain immediately shot through Erza's Stomach, followed by a painful scream. "Not enough. How about Jellal?" Kyoko asked, readying her whip.

"What do you even need them for?" Erza muttered weakly, ignoring her enemy's question.

Kyoko whipped Erza in the stomach again, and muttered, "Where are they?", she ordered, smirking at the lovely scream of the redhead, as if it was music to her ears.

Erza screamed in pain and tried to tolerate it while mentally thinking the possibility that Lucy may actually be alive...if this demon is even asking for her. But she won't have her hopes yet.

Kyoko violently grabbed Erza's chin. "Lucy pose a threat to our master as well has something that he needs. And Jellal will help us unleash a powerful weapon."

Erza weakly glared at the demon, her eyesight slowly dimming as she slip into unconcious due to immense pain.

...

It was faint, but she heard it. It was faint, but she could feel it. And although it had been a long time, she knew the voice all to well, as well as the magic. The scream of her dearest friend that she had though to had lost. And the magic that belonged to her.

Lucy wasted no time to track down the voice and activated her magic, preparing herself for battle.

She saw a door to where Erza should be, but she felt rage slipping through her veins, anger seeping into her magic. She merely crashed into the wall, crumbling it to the ground. As the dust cleared, Lucy saw two figures. One of the demons, and the other was an unconscious naked Erza.

With one glance at the state of the redhead, a slight blush was found on the face on the blonde. Seconds later, more rage and anger made itself known. The air violently shook with the immense aura that Lucy was emmiting, that it actually made the demon shook in slight fear.

"I'm not letting you get away with this, you bitch!" Lucy raises her fist angrily and dashed forward toward the blonde.

The demon, Kyoko, smirked and raised her own hands to counteract the blonde's attack. "So I didn't have to find you after all."

Lucy glared at the demon, "I will end you."

She summoned her magic, and performed her celestial fusion powers, summoning the power of Taurus and Leo. With the combined powers of the spirits, the blonde mage brought her fist and collided against the demon's hand, and managed to send the evil demon backwards.

The demon crashed into the wall, rubbles and debris tumbling down onto the demon.

Whilst the demon was beneath the rubbles, Lucy turned to naked form of Erza who still remains unconscious. She quickly cut down the shackles that held her in place and that had prevented her to use her magic. She laid the redhead gently on the ground and removed her own cloak and covered Erza for her unintended nudity.

Lucy scanned the redhead for any serious injuries. Not seeing one, Lucy drafted her eyes to the face of Erza. Her hands barely touching her limp arm. But when she made contact, she felt it. She could feel Erza's pain. She was in pain. And Lucy was enraged.

A sudden movement from the pile of rubbles shifted and the demon rose with a smirk. "You definitely live up to your name, Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy stood up and faced Kyoko ans clenched her fists in anger. "And I will do so much worst to you, demon."

...

It was painful, but she learned to deal with the pain. Because nothing compared to what she had gone through.

And when she had opened her eyes again, she was no longer chained upright. Now she laid on her back, and she felt warm. As if she was wrapped by the warmth of what she had been fighting for.

When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry, but she focused on an image that looked like a person. Seconds later, she wondered if she was dead.

"Lucy?"

 **A/N: Been thinking a lot on how the reunion between Lucy and Erza should be. I'm not honestly this good in these areas. So... Keep in touch for the next chapter that I'm working on.**

 **Again, I'm sorry for the long silence**

 **And don't forget to review~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hello~**

 **Please enjoy?**

Natsu stood, slightly shocked to see that he enemies that he was beating had stood rigid. Frozen in place without a sound or movement.

"I knew you would make it this far." A mysterious voice made it way to the ears of the dragonslayer.

Natsu turned to see Zeref walking toward him with a small smile.

"Zeref." Natsu scowled.

"This guild is composed of the demons I had created. But of course, I didn't create the guild itself." Zeref explained.

"I don't know what you're talking about and I could care less." Natsu grabbed the handle of the sword that was strapped to his waist and gave the black wizard an ugly glare.

"You... " Zeref began.

Natsu interrupted him and swung his toward the wizard, but the sword was cut clean in half, not even leaving a scratch on the wizard himself.

"You just might pull it off. But it's not time yet." Zeref finished his sentence.

"What? I don't care about all that. You're here, so I'll take you out before you run off again." Natsu threw the broken sword to the side and raise his fists.

"Life or death. The choice is yours when the time comes." Zeref gave the dragon slayer a small look of pity.

Natsu could only glare at him, not understanding a single thing.

"Well then, I'll take my leave. I have other needs that needs to be dealt with." Zeref then began to glow.

"Wait! I still don't understand what you're babbling about!" Natsu yelled.

"All in due's time, Natsu. We will meet again." Zeref then disappeared from sight.

As soon as the black wizard disappeared from sight, time was running again. Natsu's enemies fell to the ground, previously beaten by the dragon slayer.

"What the hell was that all about?" Natsu frowned, bummed out that he couldn't take out the wizard.

...

"L-Lucy... is that really you?"

A young girl stood still as she looked down at her friend that she had lost. A small smile painted itself on Lucy's face, "Are you okay?"

Erza didn't respond at first. She focused on the beauty of Lucy's light. She had missed looking at the pair chocolate pools that showed her beauty. But this time, it seemed dull, but it still had some sort of light to it.

Then her brain started working, and realized that Lucy had asked her a question. "Y-Yes... My injuries -"

Erza paused, realizing that her injuries had been fully healed. And she knew it was Lucy's doing. She tuned back to the blonde, "How are you here?"

"Save that for later. We have more pressing matters to deal with. Get dress." Lucy ordered.

Erza silently gulped at how different Lucy is, and equipped into her set of armor. "Right... So what happened to that demon?"

"That was torturing you? I killed her." Lucy deadpanned before turning toward the hole that she had made and walked toward it. "Let's go. Our enemies still stand. We need to stop them before they unleash their master plan."

"Face right?" Erza questioned as she followed her object of affection.

Lucy scanned the hallway before turning to Erza. "Yes, and we do not have much time. I want you to go with the others and help your friends with the enemy."

Erza stared at Lucy... maybe a little longer than necessary. "And you?"

"I have my own mission. Now go to your friends." Lucy then turned and walked in one direction of the hallway.

"They are your friend too!" Erza called out.

Lucy didn't respond and disappeared from sight, leaving Erza alone with her thoughts.

Erza stood quietly, wondering what had happened. Is Lucy really alive? Why did she seem so distant?

...

Erza had lost track of how long she had stood still in the hallway, recalling the reunion of Lucy. She didn't even notice the presence of two people approaching her until they called out her name.

Upon hearing her name, Erza turned her head to see Natsu and Lisanna. "Natsu! Lisanna!"

"You okay? You were spacing out there." Lisanna voiced her opinion.

"I... I think Lucy was here." Erza muttered.

"Lucy?" Lisanna repeated. "She was here?"

Natsu didn't say anything, but he did grinned.

"She seemed different too..."

"Who cares! She's alive! And I bet she is kicking butt while we were gone!" Natsu grinned.

"I guess you make a point." Erza slightly smiled at the dragon slayer.

"Alright, we need to find Mira and Elfman. They were caught too." Lisanna spoke up.

Erza turned to Lisanna. "Then let's split up. We'll cover more grounds this way."

"Can't wait to kick some butt. I'm all fired up!" Natsu yelled before running off to a random direction where a fight would be ensured.

The two girls remaining nodded at each other before running in a different direction to find their friends and stop their enemies before unleashing FACE.

...

Countless explosion riddled the battlefield as countless enemies had fallen. Screams of the deafeated soon became the lullaby as Jellal and the other members of Crime Sorciere battled to keep their enemies at bay.

"How long do you think we have to keep this up?" Meredy mumbled as she took down on of her enemies.

"Lucy said that we will know. I'm not sure what that means. But we have to keep them away from the castle." Jellal said.

Ul snickered. "Lucy does hate interruptions. She did beat the crap out of us when we did."

Jellal looked across that battlefield to see his members fighting with ease, knocking the enemies down. "For now, we need to do our job. Let's hope that Sting and Rouge and the others are doing as they are told."

...

"According to this monitor, we only have 41 minutes before FACE is unleashed." Wendy stated as she stared at the monitor in fear.

"41 minutes!? in just 41 minutes, all magic on the entire continent-"

"What are we going to do!? We've gotta let everyone know!" Happy interrupted Carla as he yelled, running in circles.

"Calm down Happy." Carla crossed her arms as she gave the blue cat a disapprovingly look.

"Can't we just smash all of this here!?" Happy yelled.

"The activation and shutdown are both controlled on site." Wendy mumbled, trying to find a way to stop FACE from being released.

"You don't have time to tell everyone!" Carla argued with the blue cat.

Not another second, all three could sense a new presence entering the room, and the feeling was not warming. It was cold and scary, sending shivers down their backs. Turning their head towards the new face, they were terrified.

"A-A skeleton? I-It's gotta be a mask..." Wendy stuttered as she looked at the skeleton looking demon.

"The despairing prayers of young maidens are the resounding chimes of hell's bells. Your dwindling magic will breathe anew, restoring life into the Earth. You maiden fairies who have fallen into hades shall become corpses and drift away in purgatory." The skeleton man said with confidence and with tone of death.

Wendy stood her ground and tried to think of what to do next. She stood between a demon that smelt of death, and between a ticking time bomb for all mages across the land. She needed to do something, and fast.

"Ice Make: Lance!"

Spears of ice came crashing down on the demon, deforming it in the process, and Gray ran toward Wendy and the cats. "I heard about the situation. FACE is unleashing pretty soon. We need to stop it."

"How did you know that?" Carla asked, suspicious of how he knew the information. She knew that nobody could've predicted how soon FACE would be unleashed.

"I heard a voice in my head. And it was telling me that FACE was being unleashed dangerously close. And that I could come to this location and help whoever is here. Guess I'm helping you three.

"Was it the fish goddess!?" Happy hoped it to be. "I knew she was listening to my prayers!"

"Huh? You mean... you talking in your sleep?" Carla sighed before turning to Wendy. "We need to act fast."

Wendy nodded at her furry friend and turned to Gray. "Can you take care of this guy? We need to find the location of FACE so I can destroy it."

Gray nodded before turning to the demon, who is now materialized. "It's you and me demon freak."

The demon acted as if nothing had happened and stared at Gray as if he was more interesting than the girl and the cats. "... you are Silver's..."

...

It didn't take Wendy long to find the location of FACE, so Carla immediately carried her toward the location, Happy following their trail from behind.

"Faster, Carla!" Wendy yelled, hoping to get their in time.

"I know! But how will you take FACE down?" Carla questioned.

Wendy frowned as the wind rushed passed her. "I don't know. But I won't give up. Lucy or Natsu wouldn't give up in this kind of situation. So I won't give up!"

Carla smirked as she continued her fast flight toward the location of FACE. "Well said."

"Wait for me~" Happy cried as she tried following the girls.

In a split second, the course of what Wendy was flying was interrupted by another demon. "I won't let you get away!" It screamed.

"Carla, try and go in another direction!" Wendy yelled in desperation.

Carla responded by switching directions and flew as fast as she could while carrying Wendy's weight.

"MMMpphh!? (Don't leave without me!" Happy muffled as he was buried under the rubble that the demon had created.

"DON'T MESS WITH HAPPY!" A loud roar erupted as flames engulfed the demon.

"Nmph! (Natsu!)" Happy exclaimed, happy to see his dragon slayer friend.

Natsu glared at the demon and lit his hands on fire. "We got to stop meeting like this eyeball freak!"

...

Distant rumblings and screaminsg was all she could hear as she walked forward toward her destination. Her mission that she must stop the master of this guild to prevent the distaster of magic deviancy.

And her senses were all on heighted alert, to ensure that everything was going according to plan.

"Sting and Rouge..." Lucy muttered, sensing that they are in combat with one of the demons, and succeeding in dominating it.

"Jellal and the others..." Sensing that are dealing with the members from the other dark guilds with ease.

"Wendy...?" Lucy sensed a powerful figure near her position, figuring it to be a powerful demon.

"Natsu... " She was sensing that the dragon slayer was having trouble with dealing the demon that he was in combat with.

"Gray and Juvia... " Lucy frowned at the struggles that they are facing.

"Erza..." Lucy paused in her tracks, sensing how she had not changed. It made her happy to see that she had not changed. Still beautiful as ever, and powerful in both intimatacy and strength. She can take care of herself, but she doesn't want to risk it again.

Lucy mentally summoned four spirits that she could send toward the four groups that she wants to protect. Gemini, Leo, Taurus, and Virgo.

"You all know what to do?" Lucy asked her spirits with her superior tone.

"Yes Princess."

"Let's mooooooove!"

"Yes!"

"Yes Milady."

Lucy nodded in approval, "Then do what you must."

And just like that, the four spirits split off and went into different directions to aid the four groups that Lucy thought needed help.

Now... Lucy needed to face the guild leader of this guild, and bring him down once and for all.

 **A/N: Whoo! Finding a perfect reunion for Lucy and Erza was harder than I thought!**

 **Anyway, please comment and review on your thoughts for this shitty chapter. I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Hello**

 **Please enjoy?**

With each beating sound of her heart, she draws closer to her destination. With each steps taken, the time slows with adrenaline. Sounds became muffled as the object of her mission came into view.

Lucy was ready.

"I had only heard about you once years ago. But I would've never imagine you to be this powerful, Lucy Heartfillia." Mard Geer spoke up as Lucy came closer.

"I won't let you destroy magic in this world." Lucy said defiantly.

Mard Geer only smirked as he sat comfortable in his throne. "FACE will be unleashed in 10 minutes. Can you stop me in time and stop FACE? I think you lack the resource for that type of feat."

Lucy hummed defiantly as she smirked inwardly. "Who said that I'll be doing all of that on my own? I didn't come here unprepared."

Mard Geer stared at the blonde wizard, trying to see what she has up her sleeves. "You humans are not capable of besting us demons. Just insolence. What are you capable of?"

Lucy then frowned. "I came here to fight. Not to talk." She unleashed her celestial powers and a golden mist covered Lucy's fists. "I'm here to end you."

"My my. This shows how insolent you are. You may be strong, but I'm stronger than you." Mard Geer stood up from his throne while holding a book close to his chest.

When Lucy caught sight of the book, she knew exactly what it was. "That book... END is it?"

"END, our master will help us summon Zeref so we can reclaim this world rightfully as ours." Mard Geer replied.

Lucy frowned before running forward, attempting to land a punch on the demon to analyze its strength and capabilities.

Mard Geer was quick to deflect the punch, and flicked a finger to send Lucy backwards. Rolling against the ground, the blonde wizard jumped back to her feet and retained a defense position.

Lucy stared at the demon and contemplated on her next set of action.

...

Leo was inches away when the giant demon was close to crushing Wendy and Carla, but made quick moves to knock the demon temporarily.

"You alright?" Leo asked as she helped Wendy and Carla up.

Wendy struggled to sit up and looked at the man that had just saved her. "W-Who are you?"

"Ah I forgot. I never showed my face around you. I'm Leo, or Loki. A member of Fairy Tail, and Lucy sent me to help you." Leo pushed his glasses up.

"Lucy-san!? She's alright?!" Wendy exclaimed, happy to hear that her friend was still alive.

Leo smiled before facing the demon that was back on its feet. "Yes. And I was instructed to help you take out FACE. I'll deal with this monster while you take out FACE."

Wendy nodded as she got on her feet and turned to face FACE. "Alright. Thanks. Carla, are you with me?"

"Of course. I'll follow you anywhere." Carla grinned as she carried Wendy closer to FACE.

"Now... It's time for me unleash my fury on you." Leo raised his fist and glared at the demon.

...

It felt like the life was being sucked out of him. His strength fading into the clutches of his enemy. And he was bound. He couldn't move, or muster enough strength or magic to escape this demon.

"Damn it!" Natsu cussed under his breath as he was pressed against the ground against his will.

"My life can't end! I still hadn't eaten all the fish in the world yet!" Happy exclaimed as he was suffering the same fate as Natsu.

The demon that was holding them bound was laughing hysterically as he was absorbing their magic. Not another second, he was hit in the stomach and was pushed backwards with unbelievable strength.

The magic that restrained Natsu and Happy was now released and the dragon slayer stood up and decided to try and different tactic. Knowing that this demon absorbs the soul of the living, he picked up a giant rock that was ten times his size. With a demonic look, Natsu started pounding the demon with the rock.

After his tenth hit, the rock shattered and saw that the demon laid defeated.

"Nice one Natsu!" Happy yelled.

"By the way... who kicked him?" Natsu looked around, wondering what force was capable of sending this demon across the room.

"I am pleased that you are safe. Princess will be happy to know that I did my job."

Natsu turned around to see a familiar face that he wouldn't had though he would see. "Maid girl! Ah... What's your name again? Burger? Hurger? Furgo?

"Burger sounds delicious? Should I be punished with burgers?" The girl said, as if she was looking forward to the said punishment.

"It's one of Lucy's spirit!" Happy yelled, remembering seeing her in one of their battles that they had fought together.

Natsu palmed his fists. "Ah! That's right? There's a fish one, a crab one, a cow... and what else..."

"More fishes!" Happy jumped, drooling at the thought of Pisces and Aquarius offering themselves to Happy.

...

"Lucy is pushing herself"

"I can sense her stress."

"We need to tell someone."

"I agree... I know just the perfect person to help Lucy."

"Let's find her."

Two small spirits floated away to a specific direction where they knew the person that they are scouting would be at.

Minutes later, Gemini arrived to a battlefield with explosions and rubbles flying everywhere. And he/she (I dunno what gender Gemini is ^.^;) scanned the area and finds Mira battling one of the demons. Seconds later, Gemini spots Erza giving Mira a hand in taking down the demon.

Without thinking, Gemini transformed in a powerful form that he/she had come into contact with. Once Gemini had finished the transformation, he/she proceeded toward the battle and activated its magic.

A golden magic wrapped around both hands was now shot toward the demon and the demon was sent toward the end of the room.

This had gained the attention of Mira and Erza, and Erza sported a more surprised look. "Lucy?"

"Glad to see that you are okay." Mira smiled.

"I've been looking for you Erza." Gemini approached the girls.

Erza was slightly shocked, mostly because Lucy was acting totally different than when she had last seen her. "You been looking for me?". The longer she was looking at Lucy, her heart sped up a little, and found herself falling for the blonde all over again. She had missed looking those beautiful chocolate pools.

Gemini walked closer to Erza. "I want you to go and help Lucy."

"Aren't you Lucy?..." Mira asked while tilting her head to the side.

"Huh? Oh no. I'm Gemini. I took this form so could help you."

Erza was immediately disappointed to see that this wasn't the real Lucy. But then again, it was nice to see her face nonetheless. "What's happening? Is Lucy okay?"

"Ever since you had disappeared seven years ago, Lucy had taken a sudden turn of personality. She refuses help, and tries really hard not to show emotions. Me and the other spirits could immediately tell that Lucy had been suffering. We tried to help her, but she shuts us off. We could only obey her orders. Not even our leader could talk some sense into her." Gemini explained with a sad tone.

"Where is she now?" Erza demanded. She vows to not let Lucy feel like that again.

"She's headed toward the leader of the demons, Mard Geer." Gemini answered.

Erza turned to Mira just as the demon that Gemini had knocked away was getting back up. "Mira, can you finish this demon off? I'm going after Lucy."

"Of course. Leave her to me." Mira smiled.

Erza nodded in approval and turned to Gemini. "Lead the way."

"Of course!" Gemini turned and made way toward to the location of Lucy and Mard Geer.

Erza will be damned if she has to let Lucy do everything on her own again. She had already left Lucy in dark unintentionally for seven years, but she won't let that happen again. She won't.

Silence is the worst enemy to face when you're alone, and Erza knows how Lucy feels. She will help Lucy, whether she wants it or not.

 **A/N: Kinda forcing myself to write lol. What you think of this chapter. Next chapter should be the last chapter of the arc**

 **Then the drama of Erza and Lucy will be a pleasue of writing :3**

 **Please review and comment on your thoughts. I don't bite~**

 **Toodles!~~**


	31. Chapter 31

****A/N: I wanna say thanks for those that had been patience with me. Thank you. And before you say anything, I know Zeref is known as the black mage, but 'black demon' have a better ring to it ;p and I'm sticking to it for numerous reasons. And you'll find out later on in the book.****

 ** **Please enjoy?**** ?

Sounds of screams. Sounds of frustration. Sounds of struggle. Sounds of misery. Lucy could hear all of these with the enhanced hearing that she borrowed from one of her spirits. Her friends from Fairy Tail were evidently struggling, but they weren't giving up. This gave the young blonde hope.

As the fight between her and Mard Geer continued, Lucy noticed how the demon was getting impatience, yet grinning with an unforeseen event that is about to take form. Her hair stood up in a frenzy, indicating that something bad was going to happen, making her more guarded and anxious toward the impending catastrophe.

"If you think you can beat me, you're wrong! Once I reclaim Zeref, and revive him, he'll destroy all that oppose him, including you!" Mard Geer sneered, landing another attack on the blonde.

Lucy remained quiet as the demon rambled, not truly up to date on the status of their so called Zeref. She assumed that he abandoned them if they didn't know that Zeref had always been alive and awake.

"Worry about yourself, rather than trying to summon someone who does not want to be summoned." Lucy gritted her teeth in frustration as she encased her fist in a golden light and quickly landed a strategic punch to where it would deal the most damage according to he calculations from her short spam of observation of battle.

Fists and magic colliding in an unruly manner, blood and sweat displaying their resolve and determination to be the victor of the fight. The unwavering conviction of refusing to lose to the hands of their enemy.

Lucy 's mission is to ensure the survival of her home, her birthplace. And to stop the forces of those that wishes to destroy the happiness of what it provides.

Mard Geer resolves nothing else than to be by his faceless master, and to restore the order of destruction. The way that things should had been, instead of the world being dominated and run by lowly people with weak magic.

An explosion was then heard and seen from the distance, interrupting the fight between the two powerful mages. Both Mard Geer and Lucy immediately knew what it was.

The FACE was destroyed. The blonde smiled and turned to her enemy, only to see that he was smirking.

"All of that effort, and you could destroy only one FACE." The demon smirked, knowing the true form of FACE.

Lucy mentally told herself to pay the council... wait they're dead. Well that means they won't be creating any more powerful meaningless weapons. The enemies will eventually find out about them and use them for themselves.

"We'll destroy as many FACE as we need to." Lucy cracked her knuckles and readied her magic in a offense mode.

Mard Geer did the same and sneered at the blonde. It's been so ling since he had so much fun. Especially since he had discarded his emotions.

Then there was this weird painful sensation. Lucy found herself on her knees, clutching her stomach, as if something was trying to claw itself out of her stomach. Mard Geer watched in surprise, deciding to wait and see what happens next.

Amidst the pain that Lucy felt, her vision was going dark, visions of an lost era coming into place. Visions of the era of dragons.

"Unleash the power."

"Unlock the power."

"Open the door, and we'll fight."

"All you need to do is let it go."

Visions of dragons and magic, and people co-existing, existing for a greater purpose.

Then she saw her. Lucy saw her mother with the dragons with a smile. She could see the determination to protect them, the determination to ensure the safety of their survival, and the survival of peace.

That was when Lucy suddenly let it go. All of the magic that she had hoarded and bottled inside of her. Golden shimmering light escaped her body, swirling around her like the eye of a powerful hurricane.

The moment she unleashed her magic, she felt it. She felt five powerful sensations. And she knew exactly what it was, or who it was.

Faint, and powerful dragon roars from the distance felt like being at a front row seat at a concert. Lucy activated one of her spirit's powers to see what's happening to the dragons, and saw them destroying the numerous FACEs that had appeared. And they destroyed them with ease.

Mard Geer noticed the destruction of his plan, and glared at the blonde. "What did you do?"

The pain in her stomach disappeared, but the blonde stood still, trying to recollect on what just happened. Then it came to her. It would all make sense. She slowly stood back up and looked at the demon with a smirk and a smile. "Things seems to be going against you now."

Lucy would've never thought she would've been the key to let the dragons out. Must have been her mother's doing before she dragged her into the celestial realm. It would make sense.

"Hmmph." Mard Geer never thought that his countless FACE would've been countered against by pathetic humans. Luckily he have some other trick up his sleeves.

...

Erza was on her way to where Mard Geer would be at. And Lucy should also be there as well. But she was stopped in her track when Natsu and Gajeel was fighting amongst each other, fighting about who is better, while their enemy was sneaking up on them, blade ready.

She couldn't turn a blind eye, and countered against the enemy, and hit him hard in the face. Then she turned back to the two dragon slayers and slapped them in the face. "Quit fighting! We're in a battle!"

"It's all Gajeel's fault!"

"It's hothead's fault!"

"Your singing sucks!"

"You're a terrible dancer!"

"Your suit sucks!"

"You're weaker than me!"

Erza grew impatience and punch them both in the stomach. "Shut up!"

The redhead sighed deeply before looking at the two hothead. "I'm heading toward where Mard Geer is. The leader of the demons."

Before Erza could continue any further, Natsu got back up with a grin. "The leader got to be stronger right!? I'll totally clobber his ass!"

Gajeel got back as well with a competitive look. "He's mine, bastard."

As long as they will help beat the enemy, Erza will not complain. All the help will be needed to help Lucy. That is all she is concerned with.

"Let's go then." She called out, letting the boys take the lead, since they have better nose than her.

The dragon slayers started running, assumingly where Mard Geer was, excited for a tough battle. With the redhead following behind.

Couple seconds later, there was an explosion. The three turned their heads to where the noise of the explosion was heard, and the only word to escape Natsu's mouth was "Wendy".

"How can you be sure of that?" Erza asked.

"Because I smelt her before, near the area where the explosion was."

Gajeel nodded. "Yeah. And her kitty."

"Is she alright?"

"I can't tell. Too much dust and wind interfering with my smell." Natsu frowned.

Then the two dragon slayer double over, excruciating pain written all over their face. Erza looked at them in surprised.

"Hey... You didn't eat bad ramen did you?" She thought it was kind of suspicious for them to both double over at the same time. Unless something was about to happen.

Golden shimmering light began to appear around the dragon slayers. The boys don't seem to notice the light, as their eyes was shut tightly due to the pain that they suddenly felt.

Erza stood back, recognizing the sensation of the magical powers. It belonged to Lucy. But why would Lucy's magic be centered around the dragon slayers? She knew something was about to happen.

Couple seconds later, and if she had not seen it for herself, she would never had believed it. The dragons had appeared straight from Natsu's and Gajeel's body, flying straight to the sky with a defiant roar.

Both Natsu and Gajeel stood on their knees, watching their lost dragons flying into the sky with a purpose, and flew off into the distance, and unleashed their powers. Destroying all known FACE that dared to destroy all known magic and freedom.

Erza was struck with fascination to what the dragons were capable of. And she was honestly glad that they were on her side.

"IGNEEL!" Natsu roared before he jumped toward his lost dragon dad.

Gajeel remained silent, watching Metalicana in the air. He had long ago given up on finding him since the dragon had disappeared on him. For him to had been inside of him ever since... eh, he would've never thought. Clever for a four-legged beast.

"Are you going after your dragon?" Erza asked Gajeel.

"No." Gajeel stood back on his feet, and looked at his lost dragon again. "I could care less. I had given up on him long time ago. Plus we have other things to do. We need to stop Mard Geer. The reunion can wait."

Erza nodded her head in agreement. "Then let's go."

...

"Sorry for the delay." Sting panted as he arrived at the scene.

Rogue appeared next to him, sweating a little, recovering from something unexpected.

Lucy nodded without turning her head. Everything was going according to plan. Except the dragon part.

Sting moved to stand next to Lucy. "Never thought I would see my dragon alive again..."

Rouge moved to the other side of Lucy, remaining silent for numerous reasons.

"More pests." Mard Geer scoffed at the increasing number of enemies before him. "You need more people to fight against me because you're too weak." He smirked.

"As long as we get the result that we need, it doesn't matter on how we do it!" Sting yelled, getting into his defensive stance.

Mard Geer slightly grinned and held his E.N.D book tightly in his hand. "Doesn't matter how many pathetic humans you bring to me, you're never a match to my demon powers.

"MARD GEER!"

A loud voice booming through the air as something hurled itself to where the demon was standing. Dusting dancing in the air, lowering visibility.

But the three opposing mages already knew who it was.

"Igneel told me to get that book from you and destroy it!" Natsu yelled, lighting his fists in fire and went for the demon's face.

"Lucy! Rouge and I will fight with Natsu. You try and think of some awesome amazing strategy that we can use that may be able to bring down this bastard once and for all!" Sting yelled before gesturing his companion to join Natsu in the fight.

"Slow down firefreak!" Gajeel yelled as he came into the battlefield and took in on what he saw before him. Lucy, and the other dragon slayers fighting the demon leader. Without any further ado, he excused himself and launched himself into the battle.

Lucy took into account of the new participant and started to observe the enemy, searching for any possible weakness that the demon may have.

A second later, Erza finally arrived and immediately spotted a cloaked figure, already knowing who it was. Her heart started to beat a little faster as she walked next to her, and looking at the fight before her. She knew that the blonde was looking for any possible of weakness.

But she wanted to talk to her too...

Then there was another roar, but this time, it felt so ominous and degrading. Erza, Natsu and Gajeel immediately knew who it was, and turned slightly paled when the monster responsible for their disappearance approaches with incredible speed.

"Hmph, with all of the destruction, no wonder the King of the Dragons would come here and make things more worst." The demon laughed as he dodged the attacks of his enemies.

But Lucy wasn't so worried about that. The dragons that had been released... They will take care of black winged beast. Most importantly, she had just devised a perfect plan, well near perfect.

"Erza." She called out.

Erza heart skipped two beats when she heard her name being called and turned to her blonde crush. "... Yes?"

"I have a plan on how to defeat him. And I need your cooperation."

The redhead stared at the blonde for a second before nodding. Perhaps the time to celebrate the reunion is when this is all over. Gajeel is right. She needs to focus on the mission and stop Mard Geer.

...

By sharing the battle plans on defeating the demon by using her spirit's power, Lucy was able to get everyone in position.

Lucy would be the one to start the cue as she shoot out her beam of magic. Followed by the magic unsion of Natsu's and Gajeel's dragon slayer power. Then Sting and Rouge would both attack on both sides with their respective power, and then use their unique powerful unsion magic onto the demon. Then Erza would jump in with powerful sword and went for the E.N.D book. However, she missed it due to the movement of the demon, and managed to cut his entire hand off. Letting the book fall ungracefully onto the ground.

"You uncultured swine." Mard Geer gritted his teeth and glared at his disembodied hand that laid defeated on the ground. He quickly picked up the book with his other hand and jumped back. "It's been so long since I've felt like this."

Erza, and the other mages step back from the demon to ensure their safety, and to observe what the demon would do next.

"When was the last time I had felt them?" Mard Geer mumbled, his magic increasing as he started to transform into his demon form. "Been so long since I've felt rage. I'll rip your hearts out, you patheitc humans."

Lucy silently gasped, as she felt another presence. A presence she would never forget. She stood her ground as a figure slowly arose from the shadows, bringing all of the attention onto himself.

"You bastard!" Natsu snarled when he saw him and was tempted to attack him.

"What a lively bunch you are." Zeref spoke with a calm tone before raising his hand.

In a spilt second, a book was in his hand. The the book of E.N.D. "I'll shall be taking this back."

Mard Geer merely stared at the man before him, paralyzed after noticing the missing book in his hand. The only time he felt this sensation of the powerful black demon was when he was created. He had forgotten the fear on being in his presence.

And Zeref seemed pissed. Really pissed.

The other mages stood their ground, mumbling to themselves in fear and subjugation.

"Mard Geer. You did well, but it ends now. Sleep." Zeref said as he raised his book toward the demon.

"Desires... Need to fullfill them..." The paralyzed demon muttered before he was sent back into the book with a puff of dust.

"There's nothing you can do now." Zeref mumbled with dissatisfaction. "I have no more need of your pathetic assistance."

After a moment of silence, the black demon turned to the mages before him and spotted two of his favorite people. Lucy and Natsu.

"Don't worry, I am not here to fight." He assured the mages, though it's not really helping with the increasing anxeity and defense coming from the mages.

Lucy took one step forward and spoke up. "I highly doubt that."

"Acnologia decided to interrupt... Will he once again repeat history and destroy everything before him?" Zeref spoke with a narratice tone. "Or will a miracle occur?"

'What are you talking about?" Natsu growled.

"If you and the others managed to survive this hopeless situation, then the next time we meet, I shall give you an even more deeper hopelessness." The black demon declared with a dark determination set upon his face.

Zeref then turned around and started to walk away, disappearing with the wind.

Lucy honestly didn't think Zeref would come and interfere like that. She could never predict anything that the black demon would do. As this was the last thing she would've predicted. After the evil mage disappeared, the drifted her eyes to the last threat of magic and freedom and watched the event unfold before her.

Erza looked around, seeing that everything seemed to be queit, other than the dragons above her, fighting fiercely. She turned to the blonde, who was watching the battle between the black dragon and Igneel.

Even littered in dirt, Lucy still managed to spell the word beauty. The redhead had missed seeing that beautiful eyes.

Then there was a crash nearby. The knight mage forced her eyes to the scene and saw that Igneel had half of his body missing, but managed to bite off Acnologia's arm off.

"IGNEEEEEL" Natsu roared as he jumped to his lost dragon.

Lucy's eyes glued itself to the figure of the black beast as it retreated from the battle scene after losing its arm. After the winged beast was out of sight, Lucy finally turned her eyes to where everyone was.

The fight was finally over it seemed. The blonde didn't sense anymore demons out there. The danger is gone now. Now she can relax.

She stood in content as she watched the casual interaction with the dying dragons and the dragon slayers. An unspoken promise with each of the dragon slayers as they promised themselves to keep moving forward.

Erza smiled at the sight before turning to the blonde. She will not let her escape again. Walking torward the young girl, she spoke with a nervous determination of conviction. "Lucy."

 ** **A/N: Lucy and Erza moment next chapter! 3****


End file.
